How to Get Cast on HBO Max’s ‘Heated Rivalry’

Inspired by Canadian author Rachel Reid’s bestselling “Game Changers” novels, “Heated Rivalry” became the No. 1 series on the Canadian streamer Crave, and quickly grew into an international cultural hit on HBO Max.

The romantic drama centers on Canadian hockey star Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and his Russian adversary Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie). Their chance hookup turns into a years-long hidden relationship as they compete for championships and navigate fame, fear, and forbidden love. Season 2 is expected to draw inspiration from “The Long Game,” the sixth book in Reid’s series, which explores how Shane and Ilya must confront a defining choice between their relationship and careers.  

Industry buzz suggests the story may continue beyond two seasons. According to a GQ profile, Williams and Storrie committed to three seasons, and Tierney optioned all six books in the “Game Changers” series, opening the door to additional storylines.

Season 1 of “Heated Rivalry” featured:

• Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander
• Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov
• François Arnaud as Scott Hunter
• Robbie G.K. as Christopher “Kip” Grady
• Callan Potter as Hayden Pike
• Franco Lo Presti as Cliff Marleau
• Christina Chang as Yuna Hollander
• Dylan Walsh as David Hollander
• Sophie Nélisse as Rose Landry
• Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova as Svetlana Sergeevna Vetrova

No official cast list has been announced for Season 2, but it is widely speculated that most of the ensemble will return at this time.

Jenny Lewis and Sara Kay of Lewis Kay Casting (“Letterkenny,” “What We Do in the Shadows”) are the CDs behind “Heated Rivalry” Season 1. Kay told the BBC that, with the success of “Heated Rivalry,” she and Lewis hope their casting of unknown actors will start a new trend in Hollywood. “We don’t care how many Instagram followers someone has or whether they can make a TikTok here in Canada,” Kay said. “We’re not looking to discover the next star, but we’re just looking for the best actors. When you do that, you can find people who you would never expect who can then be propelled into stardom.”

“Heated Rivalry” was originally produced for the Canadian streamer Crave, and Toronto-based CDs Lewis and Kay were able to tap into a pool of fresh, local talent—a move that ultimately became their secret sauce.

“If we are allowed to actually cast Canadians as our leads, then we see everybody,” Lewis told the Anker. “You’re not tied down to the whole, ‘Oh, there has to be a star who’s going to bring this kind of box office to the show in order for the show to be greenlit or get made.’ We get to actually consider any actor. If you allow yourself to just find the magic and trust the good actors out there, then look at what happens.”

She told North Shore News, “We were a little intimidated, not about the content but the specificity of the roles.” However, things quickly came together when casting for Ilya, as Storrie submitted a self-tape where he appeared shirtless. “It was in a scene where it was appropriate, where most of the actors chose to take their shirt off. I will say we do not ask for that,” Lewis added. But it was ultimately his demeanor that caught their attention. “I definitely called out to Sara right away, like, ‘You’ve got to come watch this,’ ” she said.

With Storrie confirmed as Ilya, the team set out to find its Shane. Storrie told Out, “Hudson was the third actor that I read with. The first two I was like, ‘OK, this is cool,’ and then Hudson came on. Jacob actually texted me directly and was like, ‘What do you think?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, Hudson, for sure.’ Instantly.”

“[Hudson] was the final one, and it was just head and shoulders above the rest. It was just an organic thing. I feel like also there’s something with acting, there’s something about pace and tone that you can kind of direct into that, but we naturally were on the same pace and tone, which made it click really well,” Storrie told Teen Vogue. “I felt like we were of the same universe, or we had the same understanding of what the moment needed to look and feel like.”

“I read with one other possible Ilya, and it was good,” Williams told Out. “But something about Connor… There was an inexplicable X-factor that just felt realer than what I thought it could possibly be.” 

As Lewis told North Shore News, Williams brought a “depth of emotion” to the audition, with both he and Storrie conveying innate “generosity” toward each other. “Sometimes with group auditions, not everybody is willing to give…” she said. “But [Storrie and Williams] really were there for each other and you could feel that watching. As actors, they were really giving to each other. It felt like they felt safe with each other, even in that initial stage of doing Zoom. I think that has come across in their dynamic when we watch them on social media.”

“They were essentially cast at the same time. It was very clear to us that we needed to find Shane and Ilya together,” Tierney told Out. “This show lives and dies with them, so we needed to make sure that this worked together. There are terrific actors who are in, you know… They’re just in different shows. You need to find the people who are going to be together in the same show, and that’s what the two of them had quite instantly.”

Tierney confirmed production on “Heated Rivalry” Season 2 will begin in August 2026 during a Feb. 26 interview on “CBS Mornings.” “We’re writing it now. We’re getting ready to start shooting this summer,” he told Gayle King. “There will be more ‘Heated Rivalry’ on your TVs, like, truly, as soon as humanly possible.” The next season will likely premiere via HBO Max in spring 2027.

There aren’t any auditions available for “Heated Rivalry” Season 2 quite yet, but with production slated to begin in summer 2026, it’s only a matter of time. We recommend bookmarking our main HBO casting call page for regular updates on the latest listings. You might also want to explore our guide on how to audition for HBO Max. It couldn’t hurt to learn how to nail a chemistry read, too. And once you have, these steamy gigs might be enough to hold you over until filming starts up again. 

Casting duo Lewis and Kay told Casting Networks that the audition process in Los Angeles and Canada are entirely different experiences. Lewis said, “In L.A., even when you see self-tapes, [actors] often have their sides. Not Canadians. Just as a rule, they memorize their sides. You’re not told to. You don’t have to; of course, you can have your sides. We often say to an actor [to] just hold them. Like somehow the words will go from that paper through your hand to your brain by osmosis.”

“I think here in Canada, we have more to prove. It’s like you have to work much harder than the American to get the job,” Kay added. “I’ve auditioned a lot of well-known Americans here or had them come in or do self-tapes or something, and it’s so interesting [to see] the difference. They’ll have the sides—and they have not memorized anything—but it’s so great. They’re confident. They own it. They’re like, ‘I’m gonna look down, but I’m still gonna give you a great performance.’ No one in Canada can do that. Literally nobody.”

Yet your location ultimately doesn’t matter—who you are does. And Lewis and Kay just want to see you succeed. “When I do acting workshops, they all want to hear that we’re on their side. I find they’re always surprised when we say we are,” Kay said. “You could ask around in Toronto, you will hear we are probably the most welcoming, nicest, most normal, least crazy casting directors because we really are just about casting the part. We want you to get the part.”

“But you still have to come and bring your best version every time. Put your own stamp on the character,” Lewis said. “It’s that intangible thing you can’t describe that makes a person right for a part. It has nothing to do with how great a read you gave or how prepared. It could be as simple as your hair color. It can be very random. I think that’s the hardest thing.”

Auditioning doesn’t come naturally, though, as Walsh—who plays Shane’s father David on the series—learned during his early days in the business. That’s why he advises up-and-comers to “study, study, study!” As Walsh told Icon vs. Icon, when he was 22, his acting teacher asked the class to commit to the program for two years without auditioning, telling students, “If you rush it, you’ll skip steps and develop bad habits.”

But of course, Walsh didn’t listen. “I cheated. I went to class and I went to auditions. And more and more, I started to understand what he was saying,” he shared. “When you go to an audition or book a job, you’re expected to go from zero to sixty, and nobody helps you. There’s no teacher there. A director isn’t a teacher. It’s a job, and they need you to deliver. You have to have a process, a technique, a path, and that’s on you. It took me some time to really see that and figure it out. I did get work, but honestly, I was working before I knew what I was doing. I had to catch up, watch other actors, and learn on the job.”