‘Heated Rivalry’ Fever: Connor Storrie & Hudson Williams’ Whirlwind Ride to Fame

“Heated Rivalry” is the steamy drama series that has fans around the world cheering, and it’s breaking TV records! 

The HBO Max show about two closeted superstar hockey players’ secret romance became a massive hit after it started streaming last month. 

Connor Storrie, a native Texan, plays the bad boy Russian captain Ilya Rozanov, and Hudson Williams plays Canadian phenom Shane Hollander. 

“Extra” caught up with Connor at the Actor Award nominations last week, and he spoke of going from waiting tables eight months ago to starring on “Heated Rivalry.”

"I try not to sound like I'm full of myself, but I can believe it in a sense, just because, I mean, I went after this for, like, eight years,” he said. "I’ve done countless auditions. I've done weird industrial films, student films, and so when you pray for something and you put a lot of time and effort into it, I mean, it's only kind of a matter of time before you're like, 'Yeah, I believe it.’"

Vanity Fair’s Chris Murphy also interviewed the newcomers and talked to “Extra” about their overnight success.

"It's been a real whirlwind for them, and their lives have changed overnight. And I think that type of experience bonds you for life,” he said, while praising their chemistry, "which is very important when you're filming a romance television show.”

Ilya and Shane’s fiery hot sex scenes have fans hearts racing. 

Chris noted, "Women like gay romance, too. Gay romance is actually for everyone it seems.”

When “Extra” caught up with Connor last week, he dished on his mom’s reaction to those sexy scenes.

Storrie shared, “I told my mom what goes on in the show... She was like, 'Oh, okay.' She's like, 'Are you sure you want to do that?' And I was like, 'Yeah, I think I'm going to do it.’ And she's like, 'Oh, okay. Well, I'll just have to fast-forward a little bit.’”

Their backsides make many cameos throughout the six episodes. So, to be camera-ready, Hudson told ETalk they focused on those glutes.

"I was on that abductor machine more than I ever had,” he said. "I've never opened my legs more.”

The show's impact has even been felt in Hudson's DMs. Hudson spoke with Andy Cohen on his Radio Andy Sirius XM show, revealing closeted professional athletes have thanked them for telling this story.

Williams said, "Hockey players, football players, basketball players… those ones are the ones that really just kind of 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 nose.”