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\n\t\u201cHeated Rivalry<\/a>\u201d stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie recently spoke with Out Magazine<\/a> about the intense chemistry that emerged during the audition process for the LGBTQ hockey romance series. <\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHudson was the third actor that I read with,\u201d recalled Storrie, who plays Ilya Rozanov, a Russian American player for the Boston Raiders. \u201cThe first two I was like, \u2018OK, this is cool,\u2019 and then Hudson came on. Jacob [Tierney] actually texted me directly and was like, \u2018What do you think?\u2019 And I was like, \u2018Yeah, Hudson, for sure.\u2019 Instantly.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWilliams, who plays Montreal Metros pro Shane Hollander, added, \u201cI read with one other possible Ilya, and it was good. But something about Connor\u2026 There was an inexplicable X-factor that just felt realer than what I thought it could possibly be. And that was something. I had a quote I told Jacob, at one point, about my read with Connor in particular.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWilliams couldn\u2019t recall the exact quote he had said after a chemistry test with Storrie, so he turned to \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d creator and showrunner Jacob Tierney to say it for him. <\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHudson told me, \u2018The other guy was good, but Connor felt like he was going to pin me down and fuck me,’\u201d Tierney told Out Magazine, later adding, \u201cThat is literally what he said. And I was like, \u2018Well, I think I cast this right.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBased on Rachel Reid\u2019s bestselling \u201cGame Changers\u201d series, \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d follows the love story of rival hockey players Shane Hollander (Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Storrie). The cast also includes Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud, Robbie G.K., Christina Chang, Dylan Walsh, Sophie N\u00e9lisse and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova.<\/p>\n