‘Heated Rivalry’ Star Hudson Williams Sparks TIFF Chaos, Teases Season 2

By Marlow Stern

Marlow Stern

Chief Correspondent

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It’s been a whirlwind year for Hudson Williams.

Ever since “Heated Rivalry,” Jacob Tierney’s sensuous decade-long romantic saga between closeted hockey stars Shane Hollander (Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), premiered in November 2025 on Crave and HBO Max, Williams has been thrust into the spotlight. Adapted from Rachel Reid’s “Game Changers” series of novels exploring toxic masculinity, internalized homophobia and the closet, and providing an addictive mélange of yearning and forbidden love, “Heated Rivalry” became a global phenomenon, earning Williams Best Leading Performance in a Drama Series at the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards (the youngest winner ever at 25) for his sensitive portrayal of the autistic Hollander, and vaulting its two magnetic leads to the A-list.

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