Hudson Williams might be best known as Shane Hollander, the anxious, hyper-competent hockey prodigy at the center of LGBTQ+ drama, Heated Rivalry, but the 24-year-old actor’s rise has been far more gradual than the internet might suggest. From working paycheck to paycheck in Vancouver, British Columbia, to leading one of the most talked-about queer series in recent memory, Williams’ career has been defined less by overnight success than by patience, self-belief, and a commitment to character-driven work.
Before Heated Rivalry
Prior to landing Heated Rivalry, Williams was doing what many early-career actors do to survive: juggling auditions with service work in an increasingly expensive city. “I was serving at The Old Spaghetti Factory [in] New Westminster,” Williams told The Hollywood Reporter, explaining that acting alone wasn’t enough to cover rent in Vancouver. “That was how I paid my rent. It was paycheck to paycheck.”
The job itself didn’t feel demeaning—Hudson went on record saying, “I loved it there,”—but it underscored his frustration with the acting industry. “I’m not better than this,” he explained, “but I do feel I’m good enough at acting that I should be reaping some reward for it.”
Landing the Role
Williams was cast as Shane Hollander in Heated Rivalry, the HBO Max–Crave adaptation of Rachel Reid’s beloved queer hockey romance book series, written and directed by Jacob Tierney. At the time, Williams assumed the show would appeal primarily to an existing fanbase. “I didn’t think it would blow up to this,” he said. “I thought it’d be more of a niche fan base.”
What convinced him to sign on wasn’t projected success, but the quality of the material. “From the moment I read [the scripts], they are Emmys quality,” Williams said. “Jacob is a brilliant writer.”
Shane Hollander immediately resonated with Williams as a character defined by structure, internalized pressure, and relentless overthinking. He has spoken about drawing from personal experience to ground the role. “Rachel [Reid] has said [Shane] is autistic,” Williams shared. “I empathized with him a lot, immediately.”
That empathy translated into a performance that felt unusually specific: a queer male lead whose vulnerability exists alongside competence, discipline, and restraint. Fans and critics alike have praised Williams for bringing Shane to life with an emotional honesty that is both sexy and deeply relatable.
Chemistry with Connor Storrie
Central to the success of Heated Rivalry is the intense connection between Shane and Ilya Rozanov, played by Connor Storrie. The sexual tension, tender moments, and high-stakes chemistry between the two characters quickly captured viewers’ attention.
Storrie told Out, “Hudson was the third actor that I read with. The first two I was like, ‘Okay, this is cool,’ and then Hudson came on. Jacob [Tierney] actually texted me directly and was like, ‘What do you think?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, Hudson, for sure. Instantly.’”
Williams recalled a similarly immediate connection during his chemistry read: “I read with one other possible Ilya, and it was good. But something about Connor… There was an inexplicable X-factor that just felt realer than what I thought it could possibly be.”
Tierney confirmed the moment that sealed the casting choice: “Hudson told me, ‘The other guy was good, but Connor felt like he was going to pin me down and f*ck me.’” Which is exactly the kind of bold, NSFW, authentic erotic energy that drives Heated Rivalry’s queer narrative.
In the same interview, Tierney emphasized that finding the right pairing was crucial. “They were essentially cast at the same time. It was very clear to us that we needed to find Shane and Ilya together,” he said. “This show lives and dies with them, so we needed to make sure that this worked together.”
Breakout Visibility
When Heated Rivalry premiered, its popularity quickly surpassed expectations. While the response appeared explosive from the outside, Williams experienced it as a slow build that suddenly tipped into something larger. “There’s no way to prepare for what this side of things looks like,” he said of his newfound fame.
With that visibility came the realities of online scrutiny. Williams has been candid about his relationship with social media, particularly when it becomes overwhelming. “I deactivate Twitter and fully delete it,” he admitted, adding that he periodically deletes Instagram as well.
Even largely positive attention can be destabilizing. “There are going to be 200 good things, and you’ll remember the bad one,” Williams said. But rather than internalize criticism, the actor has learned to treat it lightly.“To be offended would be to think they matter,” he said. “Just kind of laugh.”
Queer Intimacy and Cultural Impact
Much of Heated Rivalry’s resonance comes from its unapologetic portrayal of queer intimacy, something Williams understood as central to the story rather than incidental. “If Challengers was the cocktease of it all, then our show just leans in and gets in there.” Fans searching for steamy queer TV moments have been handsomely rewarded with a series unafraid to show explicit desire alongside tender emotion.
For Williams, the show’s boldness isn’t just about sex. It’s about emotional honesty and optimism. In an interview with Teen Vogue, he emphasized how rare it still is to see queer stories that aren’t defined by punishment or tragedy. “A lot of the queer representation in films and TV… there is a tragic element to it,” Williams said. “This story does just drive towards the good.”
That lack of shame feels intentional.“The show is so unabashed. There’s no shame. The show is just proud to be what it is.”
Both Williams and Storrie also read Rachel Reid’s original novels after filming began, carefully pacing their discoveries to preserve authenticity in their performances. “I didn’t want to know what happened to them yet. I wanted to sort of play it as I go,” Williams told Out.
Looking Forward
As Heated Rivalry continues to grow (the second season is already confirmed) Williams is resisting the urge to get attached to what comes next. He remains cautious about equating momentum with certainty. “I believe I have a lot more to offer,” he said.
At the same time, he keeps his success in perspective. “I could still be at The Old Spaghetti Factory. So I can’t be too much of a prude.”For now, Hudson Williams’ trajectory feels less like a meteoric rise and more like a slow burn that knows exactly what it’s doing. Patient, deliberate, a little naughty, and entirely confident that queer stories—and yes, Hudson Williams himself—deserve to be enjoyed up close, maybe even a little lingered on, like a certain scene you’d watch over and over again.
