Hudson Williams, the breakout star of HBO Max’s hit sports drama “Heated Rivalry,” opened up about the personal journey he underwent while filming the series in a recent interview,. The 24-year-old actor shared that portraying the anxious, gifted hockey player Shane Hollander forced him to confront and move past his own internal discomforts regarding male affection and physical expression.
Williams’s comments come as the series, an adaptation of Rachel Reid’s romance novels, continues to dominate online conversation and has been officially renewed for a second season. His candid reflection provides a deeper look at the transformative experience behind one of the year’s most talked-about performances.
A Journey to “Freer, More Fully Expressive” Acting
When asked what he learned about himself during the production, Williams did not hold back. “I think I had my own biases, maybe that would be too strong of a word, but my own discomfort if I expressed myself fully, physically and affectionately, both with women and men,” he told Variety.
He elaborated that this discomfort stemmed from a fear that such expression would feel “inappropriate,” a feeling he identified as being particularly hard on men due to societal taboos. The process of filming “Heated Rivalry,” which features numerous intimate and emotionally vulnerable scenes between his character and Ilya Rozanov (played by Connor Storrie), required him to let those inhibitions go.
“I realized if you really do love someone — platonically or not — I’m such a tactile, sensory person… I had to let that go, and I got to learn how freeing that is. That also went hand-in-hand with being myself, truly as an artist,” Williams said.
He credited his co-star, Connor Storrie, with being a key part of this personal and professional opening. “Connor was also a great person to have at my side. I think we both opened each other up to just be freer, more fully expressive”.
A “Nightmare for HR”: The Off-Screen Bond That Fuels the On-Screen Chemistry
Williams’s revelation about shedding personal biases helps explain the palpable and widely praised chemistry he shares with Storrie. The actors have spoken extensively about their immediate, deep connection, which began in their audition. Williams once famously told showrunner Jacob Tierney that while another actor was good, Storrie “felt like he was going to pin me down and fuck me” — a comment that convinced Tierney he had found the right Ilya.
That foundational spark evolved into a tight-knit, physically affectionate friendship. Williams joked to Page Six that their real-life relationship is “a nightmare for HR,” explaining that they became comfortable invading each other’s personal space from the start.
The closeness extends beyond the set. While doing press in Los Angeles, Williams stayed at Storrie’s apartment. “We were like, ‘Oh, my God, if people saw us just getting ready in the morning, giving each other big spooning hugs, just to say we’re proud of each other,’ people would be going crazy,” Williams shared. He described their bond as closer than typical coworkers, quipping, “Unless they’re sleeping together”.
Navigating Newfound Fame and External Criticism
Williams’s personal growth occurred alongside a rapid and life-altering rise to fame. Just weeks before landing the role of Shane Hollander, he was working paycheck-to-paycheck as a server at The Old Spaghetti Factory in New Westminster, British Columbia. He admitted to The Hollywood Reporter that while he never felt “better than” the job, he did believe he was “good enough at acting that I should be reaping some reward for it”.
The reward has been immense but overwhelming. “It’s sort of overwhelming and daunting,” he said of the sudden attention, which includes fan outreach, free gifts, and a flood of new opportunities. To manage the noise, he and Storrie have adopted a habit of periodically deleting their social media apps.
The show also faced public criticism, most notably from Jordan Firstman, star of the HBO Max series I Love LA. Firstman commented in an interview that the depiction of gay sex in “Heated Rivalry” was “not how gay people fuck,” questioning the authenticity of scenes written by straight writers.
Williams addressed the controversy with a notably gracious and pragmatic perspective. “I like cattiness and opinionated people. That’s never bugged me,” he stated. He attributed Firstman’s sharp critique to the fatigue of a long press day, showing empathy for a fellow actor’s experience. “It was a little bitchy, but that’s OK in my books. There have been days when I’ve done 17 interviews in a day, so you’re not exactly going to be as good at censoring things”.
He confirmed that Firstman later reached out with “a very nice apology,” and the two have since reconciled publicly, even posting a friendly selfie together on social media.
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Looking Ahead to Season 2
With the show’s renewal confirmed, Williams is already preparing to return to the ice. His plan for the next season is straightforward: “I’m gaining 10 pounds for Season 2 — 10 lean pounds”. The actor, who is of Korean and British-Dutch-Canadian descent, has also spoken about the personal significance of representing his Asian Canadian heritage on screen, something he knows meant a lot to his Korean mother.
As “Heated Rivalry” continues to stream on HBO Max and Crave Canada, Hudson Williams’s journey stands as a testament to the ways a transformative role can impact an artist beyond the screen. By confronting his own biases, he not only delivered a performance that has captivated audiences but also found a new level of freedom in his craft and in his expression of human connection.
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