Connor’s first time
– 5 min read
It’s been a seemingly endless series of first times for Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie of Heated Rivalry the last few weeks. They are celebrities now, they are more famous than they probably ever imagined.
They just had their first award season experience during Golden Globe week. They just walked the carpet at the Globes for the first time and presented at an award show for the first time. Both are out here doing promos for luxury brands – Connor wore Tiffany to the Globes and last night they posted this video of him from behind the scenes, when he was getting ready.
There are more likes on that post than any of their house ambassadors in months.
As many have said, this is the kind of meteoric rise we see with boy bands and popstars, it happens much less often and not this quickly with actors. And that’s why the entire industry has been stunned by this double ascent and this show. It is, truly, a phenomenon.
Going back to firsts, last week it was Hudson making his first late night talk show appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, creating a frenzy outside the studio as thousands of fans gathered to greet him. He rewarded their devotion by getting on all fours like a good bottom and showing Jimmy how to hockey stretch.
This week it’s Connor’s turn, for his first late night experience on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Just as it was with Hudson, there was a huge crowd outside waiting. Unlike Hudson, he did not get down on all fours because Ilya is a top. Still, obviously, charming AF. Even before the show started, with this bit of fan service. The accent and that line:
During the interview, Connor talked about speaking Russian better than he plays hockey and…well…all the other things that he does on the show that people care about more than the hockey. Nobody needs him to skate like an actual professional hockey player when he kisses better than any professional hockey player has ever played professional hockey, I said what I f-cking said. Hockey and hockey culture do not deserve the boost they’re getting from this show so we don’t need to be going out of our way to soothe any hockey feelings.
Connor’s next stop in New York will be the TODAY Show tomorrow morning. And then, maybe, some rest? It has been a relentless promotional run – and, of course, that’s the game, that’s the job, that’s what you want when you’re a young actor and this is your first big break, the kind of big break that doesn’t happen to everyone, certainly not so many of the other struggling actors Hudson and Connor were waiting tables with right before they landed Heated Rivalry. This is why I love Connor’s answer at the end of his interview with Seth, when he’s asked what he’s hoping for next. And his response is simple – he talks about how he would have been trying to get another restaurant job if he hadn’t booked the role of Ilya Rozanov so for him…
“To be able to act and get paid to do what I want to do and have enough money to film my own things, it’s insane for me.”
He already knows he has at least one, maybe two, gigs booked. Because season two of Heated Rivalry has already been greenlit, and this week, the book’s author, Rachel Reid, confirmed a third Hollanov novel, Unrivaled, will be published in September. Showrunner and creator Jacob Tierney has reportedly secured the rights to the entire series so a third season is a possibility. And, duh, given the crazy ass success of this show, it’s not like the network wouldn’t be very, very, very into the idea.
What’s interesting, then, is how they proceed from here. I would imagine that Jacob has read the third book, and knows where the story goes. That would help him as he’s developing season two…and three…at the same time? There is a world in which they could shoot seasons two and three concurrently, get it all done right away. Several series have done this before, including The Bear. And there are advantages to it, one of them being the talent schedules.
Hudson and Connor, right now, are only technically committed to Heated Rivalry, they’re taking meetings for other projects, of course, but nothing’s been signed. But they’re only getting more popular, more in-demand. Which means if you leave nine months or a year in between seasons two and three, the schedule could get even more complicated.
All of this depends on Jacob, obviously, and how quickly he can turn in the scripts while protecting the magic that has made the series such a smash hit. He’s hinted in interviews recently that he might bring on more writers and if they want to get production up as soon as possible and if shooting seasons two and three back to back really is an option, expanding the writing team would definitely help with that.
These are good headaches to have. Few people in the business these days, especially Canadian creatives, have the luxury of these kinds of headaches. And, to be clear, this is all just my speculation based on the announcement of the third book – there’s been nothing to firmly indicate a third season is happening. But, you know, if we’re comparing book adaptations and schedules, this is an advantage Heated Rivalry has over Game of Thrones, LOL. The source material is ready!
We're Squawking Connor and Heated Rivalry today, of course. Please join us! (App link here)
Connor Storrie arrives at NBC studios in New York, for his appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers
Newer
