Heated Rivalry EP Addresses Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie’s Sexuality Controversy
The creator of Heated Rivalry dismissed inquiries about Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie’s actual sexual orientations after they portrayed love interests in HBO Max’s queer sports drama.
Jacob Tierney mentioned in a November 28 interview that the personal lives of Williams and Storrie matter less than the “enthusiasm and willingness” they brought to their performances.
“I don’t think there’s any need to delve into that,” Tierney, 46, told LGBTQ+ magazine Xtra when questioned about the significance of their sexualities. “When casting, you can’t ask those types of questions, right? It’s actually illegal. What you need to assess is someone’s eagerness and commitment to the role.”
Tierney expressed his excitement that Williams, 24, and Storrie, 25, headlined the hit series.
“What’s truly impressive about both of them is that they approached this with the mindset of, ‘Yes, we’re ready to do this, and we aim to make this story feel authentic and as genuine as possible,’” he added. “They absolutely knocked it out of the park.”
Based on Rachel Reid‘s Game Changers book series, Heated Rivalry follows two rival professional hockey players, Shane Hollander (Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Storrie), whose animosity on the ice masks a secret — and intensely passionate — romance.
The series premiered on Canadian streaming platform Crave in November before expanding to a broader audience via HBO Max. Viewers have flocked to the show, largely due to the chemistry between Storrie and Williams in their heated scenes.
“Hudson was the third actor I read with. The first two were fine, but when Hudson came on, Jacob actually texted me directly asking, ‘What do you think?’ I replied, ‘Yeah, Hudson for sure.’ It was instant,” Storrie reminisced while speaking to Out magazine in November.
Williams had a similar experience during his audition.
“I read with one other potential Ilya, and while it was good, there was something about Connor,” he shared. “He had an unexplainable X-factor that felt more genuine than I expected. I even mentioned this to Jacob during our discussions.”
Tierney recalled their conversation, stating, “Hudson told me, ‘The other guy was fine, but Connor felt like he was going to pin me down and f*** me.’ That’s literally what he said. And I thought, ‘Well, it seems I made the right choice in casting.’”
New episodes of Heated Rivalry are available Fridays on HBO Max.
