Fictional character from the series Nashville
Juliette Jolene Barnes-Barkley is a fictional character and one of the two leads in the ABC/CMT musical drama series "Nashville". Juliette is portrayed by actress Hayden Panettiere since the pilot episode, which aired on October 10, 2012. Juliette was a teenage country sensation and is now making more mature music. She tries to take the throne, as Queen of Country music, from rival Rayna Jaymes. Panettiere has received critical acclaim for her performance as Juliette including nominations for two Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Television Series Drama in 2013 and 2014, a Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama in 2012 and a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2016.
Casting and creation.
The casting of Hayden Panettiere as Juliette Barnes was announced on February 29, 2012. Juliette was characterized as an up-and-coming country-pop diva and rival of series co-lead Rayna Jaymes, a fading country star played by Connie Britton. Although best known as an actress, Panettiere had a brief music career, recording songs for several films between 2004 and 2007 and planning to release an album. Though she co-wrote and recorded some songs for it, it was never completed or released. She later explained: "I quit after about four or five years of recording, and I said this is not me. But I said that if I was ever going to do music again, I would do country music, and for this ["Nashville"] to come along and to get both of the things I love [acting and country music] combined in one show, it's a dream come true."
Panettiere has denied media reports that her character resembles Taylor Swift, (who was also born in 1989) and states that Juliette is instead based on herself—a young woman in the entertainment industry—and Carrie Underwood. She was attracted to the character because she was "so multidimensional" and because she wanted to "break away from her character in "Heroes"."
Panettiere has revealed that she was not the first choice to play the role, as the producers were not sure she would be able to render Juliette vulnerable enough to be likeable. After Panettiere was cast, the writers re-wrote Juliette, who was originally seen as a supporting character to Rayna James' series lead, to be a co-lead alongside her.
Character profile.
Juliette Barnes, originally from Alabama, was discovered singing at a country fair by her manager, Glenn Goodman at age 14, who believed he could turn her into one of America's biggest country stars. Juliette, being young, beautiful and ambitious, had no qualms about leaving her dysfunctional home life and her drug-addicted mother behind (Juliette's father died when she was four years old). Juliette emancipated herself at the age of 16 and moved to Nashville, Tennessee. She quickly rose to become Edgehill Republic Records' biggest star, a pop-country sensation, with legions of young teenage fans and sell-out tours. Despite Juliette's singing talent being questioned by several characters, including Rayna Jaymes, she shows not only raw talent but has also proves to be a capable songwriter and works with talented musicians such as Deacon Clayborne and Avery Barkley. Both Juliette and Rayna had bad parents and left home when they were 16 to become famous country music stars.
Juliette is initially played as a demanding, arrogant diva, but her hard exterior shields a world of pain that she rarely lets people see. She has no friends, no-one she can turn to, and she has seen the worst of people growing up, which has left her unable to connect with people emotionally. As a result, she shows a desperate desire to be loved by anyone who shows her the slightest bit of affection, such as falling in love with her mother's drug counsellor. In season 6, Juliette is diagnosed with dissociation due to trauma in early childhood.
Season 1.
When the series begins, Juliette is a fast-rising star, with the potential to topple Queen of Country, Rayna Jaymes. Juliette sees Rayna as a has-been, while Rayna sees Juliette as a talentless bimbo. To the public, Juliette is a sweet-natured, fun loving, glamorous bubble-gum country star, but this image contrasts with her cold-hearted, demanding, spoiled character who wants to be the Queen of Country.
Despite a string of number ones and sell-out tours, Juliette struggles to be taken seriously, as her vocals are auto-tuned and her videos are cheesy and clichéd. She decides to work with Deacon Clayborne and when she writes with him, he is the first one to recognize her potential as a songwriter.
The rivalry between Juliette and Rayna comes to a head when Rayna is promoted from an opening act to co-touring with Juliette and their management suggest they write a song together. Rayna tells Juliette a few home truths about her talent and her diva-like behavior, which upsets Juliette. When Deacon shows Rayna the lyrics Juliette has written, Rayna begrudgingly admits she may have been wrong. They admit their mutual dislike for each other and finish a song together called "Wrong Song" that goes straight to number one. The two are forced to respect each other despite their mutual dislike.
In her personal life, Juliette is set up on a date by a famous football player for the Tennessee Titans named Sean Butler, as her management thinks it will be good press. Juliette finds him sweet, especially when he reveals his intentions to remain a virgin until marriage. She is scorned by Sean's family, especially his mother, who thinks Juliette is trash. Juliette seduces Sean, which leads to a rather hasty marriage. She realizes Sean is a genuinely good person and doesn't want to hurt him, so she agrees to an annulment.
Juliette's life is further complicated when her drug-addicted mother, Jolene, re-enters her life. She remembers losing her irresponsible mother to drugs, resulting in Juliette having to clean up after her and often being on the receiving end of her mother's drug fuelled violence. Despite this, she helps her mother again by paying for her rehab and eventually falls for her mother's drug counsellor Dante. He swiftly begins to take over Juliette's life, her finances and her career, but Juliette is so blindly in love with him, she ignores everyone. Dante flees with a sum of Juliette's money and tries to blackmail her out of $10 million with a sex tape he has of the two of them.
Juliette refuses to give into his demands and instead issues a statement confessing her role in the tape and stating that it was released without her permission, which garners respect. Jolene, finally deciding to help her daughter after years of neglect, murders Dante, destroys the tape and then kills herself with a drug overdose, devastating Juliette.
Season 2.
Juliette is introduced to Edgehill's new CEO, Jeff Fordham, and Layla Grant, who rose to fame after being the runner-up in a singing competition. Layla wants to take Juliette's place. Juliette complains that she is not country and makes fun of her when she says "y'all" because she is from Connecticut. Following the events of Rayna's wreck, she wants to cancel the remainder of the tour to spend more time with her daughters, which makes Juliette unhappy. She wants to move away from doing over-the-top numbers and refuses to play half-houses. Desperately wanting to keep playing to full arenas, she asks Layla to open up for her. Juliette is invited to join the Grand Ole Opry, which leaves her speechless.
Billionaire Charles "Charlie" Wentworth hires Juliette to sing at his anniversary party as a gift for his wife Olivia because she is a huge fan of hers. At the party, Juliette and Charlie sneak off to the house and sleep together. The two meet up again at the annual Bell Meade Polo tournament and end up sleeping together again only this time, unbeknownst to them, Olivia walks in on them. While on tour in Houston, Juliette decides that she no longer wants to suck up to a powerful DJ to get good reviews and airplay, which leads to critics leaving the show before her set and bad reviews. Charlie, who owns several radio stations, gets the DJ fired when he hears of this but has him rehired when Juliette regrets what Charlie did. Still in Houston, Juliette gets a surprise visit from Olivia, who hits on her. It is revealed that Charlie and Olivia wanted her to be a part of their threesome. After this, Charlie divorces Olivia.
Juliette begins to feel threatened by Layla when she steals her spotlight and gets distracted. When Layla goes over her set time, making Juliette's set and the show run late, she flips Layla and Will's sets at the next show. Just as Layla is supposed to go on stage to sing with Will, Juliette barges in, takes the mic and sings with him instead. In retaliation, Layla calls the press to reveal that Juliette is the cause of the Wentworths' divorce. At the Music City Festival, the press hound Juliette. She tells Glenn to find the person who leaked to the press but soon suspects Layla. Jeff goes to Layla and tells her that if she had anything to do with it, she will be dropped from the label. When Juliette arrives at the next tour stop, she is greeted by angry picketers who harass her and call her names. Her reputation takes another blow when someone edits a video of her so that it sounds like she said "there is no God". She turns to Layla for help as a way to clear her name.
As a result of this, venues start to drop her, leaving Jeff furious, so he makes her apologize for her comment or says that she will be dropped. Avery tries to cheer her up and they write a song together. The two begin dating. Juliette is told to make an apology at her Grand Ole Opry ceremony, but she dislikes what is written for her to say, ignores the teleprompter and begins singing "Don't Put Dirt on My Grave Just Yet". Once again this makes Jeff furious and he drops her from the label. Juliette hides at Avery's. Howie D, a high-powered, hit-making record producer, hears the new tweaked version of the song and wants to work with Juliette. She flies to Los Angeles to meet with him and record it. Glenn is feeling sidelined, so he tells Juliette that he is resigning as her manager and is heading back to Nashville. Not feeling what Howie D has in store for her, she tells Glenn that she does not want to move away from being a country music singer and is unable to continue without him. Juliette runs into Jeff at a restaurant and he offers her a new record deal but she turns him down. She also bumps Will and Layla from her tour.
As a way to resurrect her career, Juliette asks Rayna to sign her to Highway 65 Records, Rayna's newly founded record label. Feeling upstaged by newer talent, she sabotages the label party by going on stage to announce that she is now with the label. Juliette asks Charlie for a favor when she faces more empty seats on her tour, but he wants to get back together with her, and Avery tells him to go away. Rayna tells Juliette that she wants Scarlett to open for her on tour. After Scarlett has a meltdown on stage, Avery spends time with her, making Juliette jealous. Avery assures her that she is the one that he loves. At the BMI party, feeling wasted, Juliette runs into Jeff and they end up having sex. Gunnar sees them leaving the screening room together.
Gunnar tries to hide the secret from Avery but tells Zoey. Jeff blackmails Juliette into signing with him by threatening to tell Avery what happened between them. Juliette tells Rayna that it was a mistake signing with her and wants out of her contract, but Rayna tells her that there is too much at stake. She later reveals to Rayna that she mistakenly slept with Jeff. With Avery sensing that there is something going on with Gunnar and Zoey, they confess Juliette's secret to him. He tells Juliette that he wants to break up with her, and although she begs him to stay, he leaves anyway.
Season 3.
Juliette has a