Hudson Williams has reminisced about the casting process for Heated Rivalry — and blimey, he isn’t holding back.
The gay hockey series, created by Jacob Tierney and based on Rachel Reid’s beloved MLM romance novels, follows Shane Hollander (Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), two elite professional hockey players and captains of their respective teams whose careers are defined by their fierce on-ice rivalry.
As per the official 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.”
Following its two-episode premiere on 28 November on Crave, Heated Rivalry received universal critical acclaim for Williams and Storrie’s performances, their electric chemistry, and its faithfulness to Reid’s novel.
It’s also blown up online, thanks to a steady stream of viral clips — from the steamy sex scenes to interview moments where Williams and Storrie’s chemistry practically leaps off the screen.
In a recent interview with Out, Williams and Storrie reflected on their chemistry reads, with the latter saying: “Hudson was the third actor that I read with. The first two I was like, ‘Okay, this is cool,’ and then Hudson came on.
“Jacob actually texted me directly and was like, ‘What do you think?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, Hudson for sure.’ Instantly.”
Williams’ reaction to meeting Storrie for the first time was a bit different, however — as in, decidedly NSFW.
“I read with one other possible Ilya, and it was good. But something about Connor… There was an inexplicable X-factor that just felt realer than what I thought it could possibly be,” Williams said.
“And that was something. I had a quote I told Jacob at one point about my read with Connor in particular. [To Jacob] Do you know it?”
“I do, but are we going to say it out loud?” Tierney replied. Williams continued: “I don’t remember the exact quote. Can you say it for me?”
Tierney revealed: “Hudson told me, ‘The other guy was good, but Connor felt like he was going to pin me down and fuck me.’”
Storrie, who had seemingly never heard this story before, said: “Damn! Is that what it is?!” Tierney nodded, adding: “That is literally what he said. And I was like, ‘Well, I think I cast this right.’”
Tierney, who also serves as the show’s main writer and director, shared further insight into the casting process, saying it was “essential” that the actors behind Shane and Ilya were “cast at the same time”.
“It was very clear to us that we needed to find Shane and Ilya together,” he told Out. “This show lives and dies with them, so we needed to make sure that this worked together. There are terrific actors who are in, you know… different shows.
“You need to find the people who are going to be together in the same show, and that’s what the two of them had quite instantly.”
The third episode of Heated Rivalry premieres 5 December in Canada on Crave and in the U.S. on HBO, with subsequent episodes released weekly until its finale on 26 December.
As of writing, a UK release has sadly not been announced.
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