Hayden Panetierre played the lead role, Juliette Barnes, on Nashville.
Hayden Panettiere . She is known for her roles as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC sci-fi series Heroes ( 2006 -- 10 ) , Juliette Barnes in the ABC/CMT musical-drama series Nashville ( 2012 -- present ) and Kairi in the video game series Kingdom Hearts . Juliette Jolene Barnes 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 .