Connor Storrie Thought ‘Heated Rivalry’ Book Fans Would ‘Hate My Performance’ and He’d Get ‘Torn Apart’ Before Show Became a Hit

Before “Heated Rivalry” quickly became a global television phenomenon, star Connor Storrie wasn’t quite sure how fans would receive his portrayal of the Russian hockey player Ilya Rozanov — especially having seen “adaptations be torn apart online previously,” he said on a recent podcast episode of “Shut Up Evan” hosted by Evan Ross Katz. 

“I’m very optimistic, but I’m also a firm believer in optimistic nihilism: accept the worst, but expect the best,” Storrie continued. “I went through this entire process, even if it sounds pessimistic, accepting the worst case, which is that they’re going to hate my performance, I’m so wrong for the part [and] it’s going to be torn apart by people who love the book, and be like, well, if that were the case, all I can do is really try to give an honest performance and trust that Jacob [Tierney] knows the story well enough to to bring the right moments to it.”  

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The show, which centers on a decade-long secret relationship between Rozanov and fellow hockey player Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams), was created by Jacob Tierney, who adapted the material from author Rachel Reid’s popular “Game Changers” book series. Since the show’s debut in November, it has swiftly topped the charts: the Crave-created romance has become the Canadian streamer’s most-watched original series and HBO Max’s top-rated non-animated acquired series. 

The center of conversation has been William’s and Storrie’s performances. Later in the podcast, Storrie discussed how he approaches significant moments in the show that book fans will have expectations for. 

“For moments like that,” Storrie explained, referring to his now-viral “I’m coming to the cottage” moment at the end of the fifth episode, “I had some ideas about trying to really play to the book. But Jacob just knows that book. He knows that story like the back of his hand. I read the book twice, read all the scripts a million times.”  

Storrie also noted the importance of not getting too wrapped up in “trying to please the fans.” “Honestly, I think with acting or art in general, trying to feed too much into what you think other people want is kind of the death of anything that’s actually humane and inspiring.”