“We are all on the same side”

Heated Rivalry stars Hudson Williams and François Arnaud have hit back at viewers who have posted hateful comments on social media.

The HBO drama follows Williams as the up-and-coming hockey star Shane Hollander and Arnaud as veteran Scott Hunter, with Connor Storrie playing Ilya Rozanov – who has a secret romance with Hollander. 

All three actors have been subjected to negative comments online, leading to Williams and Arnaud’s matching statements. Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, who plays Ilya’s friend Svetlana Vetrova, and Nadina Bhabha, who played Elena Rygg in the show, also shared the statement.

“Don’t call yourself a fan if you share racist/homophobic/biphobic/misogynist/ageist/ableist/parasocial/bigoted comments of any kind,” they posted on their Instagram Stories on Monday (March 9). “None of us need your hateful ‘love.’”

Connor Storrie and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova in ‘Heated Rivalry’. CREDIT: Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max

They continued, “We all respect and support and love each other and are on the same side. If you can’t accept that gtfoh [get the fuck outta here].”

Meanwhile, Kharlamova posted her own statement on X (Twitter) the same day. 

“Since it’s Women’s Day I want to say the women you see at industry events are there bcuz they are just as deserving of being in those rooms!” she wrote. “The assumption that we are there because our male costars invited us takes away the work we also put in. Celebrate women’s achievements!” 

She then added in a follow-up post, “Also if you’re using this tweet to criticize my castmates you missed the point! They are amazing!! I said CELEBRATE WOMEN not hate on male actors.”

Season one of Heated Rivalry, based on the Game Changers books by Rachel Reid, premiered in November last year with its first two episodes. The following four episodes then aired weekly, with the finale coming on December 26.

Two weeks before, on December 12, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season. Whereas the first season was based on the second book of Reid’s series, the second is set to adapt the sixth book The Long Game, which serves as its sequel.

However, creator, writer and director Jacob Tierney told Variety that season two won’t premiere exactly a year after the first, citing slower progress on the scripts. He also said that other writers could lend a hand in the process, per The Hollywood Reporter, and that he intends to write a scene depicting Williams coming out to his team, something that happened off-page in the novel.

Meanwhile, the show brought its soundtrack to streaming services – check out the full list of songs here. CD and vinyl editions of the album are expected to be released later this year.  

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