From closeted hockey player to gothic vampire icon! Hudson Williams has (quite literally) sunk his teeth into a brand new project.
On 6 January, the Heated Rivalry star appeared in Love Lucille’s ‘Lights On’, channelling Nosferatu’s Count Orlok as he stalks, and ultimately drains the blood of, a young woman (played by Karina Frislev) in her home.
Directed by Emily English, the video sees Williams decked out in Orlok’s signature look: bald and nightmarishly pale, painted with dramatic black eye makeup and lipstick, complete with pointed ears, razor-sharp claws and fangs.
The video was a hit with Heated Rivalry and rock music fans alike, with the general consensus being: “Came for Hudson and stayed with the song.”
Additional comments include: “You never know what you’re gonna get with this guy,” “Hudson Nosferatu-Mildred Williams led me to be graced in the ears by this music,” and “Shane Hollander on Halloween night.”
One fan noted how, since skyrocketing to stardom over the past few weeks, Williams is “using his fame to share his friends’ work because he is proud of them and wants to expose them to a fanbase”.
Confirmed: the music video has already surpassed 24k views on YouTube and 16k likes on Instagram, impressive numbers for an emerging band.
Last week, Williams also starred in the powerful short film Hold Your Back, following two men “going through a violent yet passionate breakup”.
Williams, who also produced the project, stars opposite Vancouver-based actor and filmmaker Zack Fonzovs, who served as director, writer and editor. As of writing, the film has earned over 300k views on YouTube.
Williams recently shot to fame with the release of Crave’s gay sports romance Heated Rivalry, which earned universal critical acclaim and quickly became an unexpected, and deserved (!), pop culture juggernaut.
The series, which has been confirmed to return for a second season, follows rival hockey players Shane Hollander (Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) as they embark on a passionate secret romance.
As per the synopsis: “What begins as a secret fling between confused teenagers at 17 evolves into a years-long journey of love, denial and self-discovery. Over the next eight years, as they chase glory on the ice, they struggle to navigate their feelings off it.
“Torn between the sport they live for and the love they can’t ignore, Shane and Ilya must decide if there’s room in their fiercely competitive world for something as fragile – and powerful – as real love.”
Bell Media
While all six episodes were met with acclaim, the final two, ‘I’ll Believe in Anything’ and ‘The Cottage’, have been hailed among the best television of 2025, each earning an extraordinary 9.9/10 score on IMDb.
Later this week, Williams and Storrie will make their respective late-night television debuts on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers.
There’s more: Heated Rivalry will finally arrive in the UK, streaming on Sky and NOW TV from 10 January.
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