#INSPIRING

‘Heated Rivalry’ Star Reveals the Show’s Most Surprising Fan Base

Hudson Williams spoke to Andy Cohen about the response to the smash hit show.

Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams said in an interview with show superfan Andy Cohen on Wednesday that closeted professional athletes have been in touch since the series’ premiere. “It’s definitely the people who reach out, somewhat anonymously, who are like, ‘I’m a professional player, and I’m still in the closet,’” Williams, who stars as Canadian hockey phenom Shane Hollander, told Cohen during an interview on his SiriusXM show Radio Andy. Williams, 24, added that the creative team behind the show, in particular the author of the books on which it is based, Rachel Reid, has heard from closeted hockey players, football players, and basketball players. “They’re reaching out to Rachel, our author, who will then relay these lovely anonymous emails, and sometimes they’re just reaching out privately through Instagram, and those are the ones that hit you and go, ‘Oh, so this is a fun show and it’s celebratory, but also sometimes it’s just hitting people right in the nerves.’” The show, which streams on HBO Max and also stars 25-year-old Connor Storrie as the Russian hockey sensation Ilya Rozanov whose intense rivalry with Williams’ Hollander turns to romance, has taken the world by storm since its November premiere and has already been renewed for a second season.