Heated Rivalry Creator Reveals Why He Declined Frontal Nudity Offer From The Shows Stars
Image: Heated Rivalry / Crave
Heated Rivalry stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie were willing to bare everything for the queer hockey drama’s first season, but creator Jacob Tierney had other plans.
Speaking with actor Andrew Rannells while promoting I’ll Believe in Anything: The Making of Heated Rivalry Season 1 (The Annotated Scripts), Tierney revealed that the limits on nudity reflected his own creative choices.
Even though the show’s stars were willing to bare it all.
Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie were reading to strip off for Heated Rivalry
Jacob Tierney described both performers as “very game” and willing to “show everything” in season one of Heated Rivalry.
However, when it came to showing everything of the pair, he told the Rannells “I was like, ‘I’m not showing your dick!”
“It’s about what I wanted to show,” Tierney explained when declining their offer to strip off.
The conversation also offered a glimpse into the preparation behind the series’ intimate encounters that had fans around the world hooked.
Tierney said intimacy coordinator Chala Hunter’s work began well before filming, with boundaries and practical arrangements discussed in advance.
He detailed how he worked to put the intimate scenes together and not leave anything to chance “I don’t want to improv my way through this” he said.
He described writing detailed sex scenes and sharing early scripts with actors so they could flag anything they were uncomfortable performing.
That preparation created the unforgettable scenes between professional hockey rivals Shane Hollander, played by Williams, and Ilya Rozanov, played by Storrie, as their private relationship unfolds alongside the pressures of their sporting careers.
Australian audiences have embraced the pairing well beyond their screens. In January, Sydney’s Heated Rivalry lookalike competition filled the Imperial Hotel after organisers moved it from a planned park gathering following council intervention over permits.
Hosted by drag performer Jackie Daniels, the event crowned lookalikes for both characters in a sold-out event that made national headlines.
Meanwhile, preparations for season two continue, with Canada’s Drag Race winner Priyanka joining the second season as Tarek.
The additions also include Schitt’s Creek favourite Emily Hampshire, alongside Edvin Ryding, Sabrina Jalees and Robert Naylor. Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie are joining the cast too, while Williams and Storrie return as the central couple.
Author Rachel Reid has indicated that the next season will draw on the fifth and sixth books in her Game Changers series, opening the door to further romances alongside Shane and Ilya’s continuing story.
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