Connor Storrie Reflects on Shirtless Audition and On-Screen Queer Intimacy

The queer hockey romance series “Heated Rivalry” has become a breakout streaming hit, with star Connor Storrie crediting both its faithful literary roots and its unabashed depiction of queer intimacy for the show’s growing global profile. The series, originally commissioned by Canadian platform Crave and now streaming on HBO Max in the United States, is based on Rachel Reid’s bestselling romance novels about two professional hockey players whose years-long rivalry conceals a deeply felt love affair.

In a recent interview, Connor Storrie described how he landed the role of Ilya Rozanov, a Russian hockey star whose secret relationship with Canadian counterpart Shane Hollander drives the series. Storrie explained that when he filmed his self-tape audition, he chose to perform without a shirt, even though the sides did not call for nudity, because he felt the creative team needed to understand the physical vulnerability the show would require in its sex-forward storytelling. According to Storrie, that bold decision helped him secure the part, underscoring how central sensuality and embodiment are to the project’s tone.

The series adapts key plotlines and emotional beats from Rachel Reid’s novel, following Ilya and Shane as they navigate professional competition, internalized fear, and a relationship that evolves from clandestine encounters to deeper emotional commitment. Creator, writer, and director Jacob Tierney, known for “Letterkenny,” has been praised for bringing several beloved scenes from the page to the screen, helping reassure a passionate readership that the books’ queer romance would be treated with care.

HBO Max acquired the show from Crave and released the first episodes over the U.S. Thanksgiving weekend, where it rapidly gained a dedicated audience and strong social media engagement. Following that momentum, the series received an official Season 2 renewal, which Storrie welcomed as proof that there is sustained demand for complex queer love stories in mainstream, sports-centered television. Storrie emphasized that, in his view, “the only way to make this make sense is to stick to the books,” signaling an ongoing commitment to Rachel Reid’s original character arcs and relationship dynamics.

Episode 4 has drawn particular attention from fans and critics for its blend of emotional vulnerability and physical intimacy between Ilya and Shane. In a conversation with entertainment outlet Collider , Storrie and Hudson Williams discussed how the episode marks a turning point in the characters’ relationship, including a club sequence and key private exchanges that challenge Shane’s comfort with the possibility of a more settled, domestic life.

Williams explained that Shane’s reaction in a scene involving a simple question about a tuna melt becomes a symbol for his fear of domesticity and long-term commitment, particularly in the context of his public image and the conventions surrounding masculinity and sexuality in professional sports. The actors also spoke about unscripted moments of kissing and physical connection, noting that such improvisations emerged from mutual trust, clear communication with director Jacob Tierney, and a shared understanding of the characters’ emotional stakes rather than from spontaneity without consent.

“Heated Rivalry” arrives in a broader cultural moment where queer narratives in sports media, including both fictional series and real-world coverage of openly LGBTQ+ athletes, are receiving increased attention. While the show’s central couple is fictional, the narrative draws on real-world tensions around masculinity, national identity, and sexuality in men’s professional hockey, offering viewers both escapist romance and recognition of familiar pressures faced by many LGBTQ+ people in sports.

By centering two men whose relationship must coexist with media scrutiny, locker-room culture, and long-standing rivalries, the series highlights how queer love can exist in spaces that have historically been portrayed as exclusively heterosexual. Storrie and Williams have both emphasized, in interviews, their responsibility to honor queer fans who see aspects of their own experiences reflected in Ilya and Shane’s journey, particularly around coming to terms with desire, fear of visibility, and the search for safety in relationships.

Fan engagement has extended beyond the central romance, with viewers also discussing side characters Scott and Kip and their storyline, as reflected in interview clips and promotional content featuring Storrie and Williams responding to questions about the broader ensemble. This wider interest indicates that audiences are invested not only in one couple but in a whole narrative world where multiple queer and questioning characters can exist with nuance.

As “Heated Rivalry” moves toward its second season, the creative team’s stated intent to “stick to the books” suggests continued reliance on Rachel Reid’s novels as a roadmap for expanding queer representation in serialized television. For many LGBTQ+ viewers, that fidelity may offer reassurance that future episodes will continue to balance eroticism, emotional depth, and the realities of navigating identity in professional sport, while affirming that queer love stories are central—not peripheral—to contemporary television drama.