What to Know
It’s not hard to understand why the sudden popularity of Heated Rivalry would be a huge adjustment for the stars of the show. People are obsessed. And while actor François Arnaud, who portrays Scott Hunter in the hockey romance series, has described the experience as mostly “incredible,” the sudden (and intense) fan scrutiny is “also a bit scary,” he told the Toronto Star.
The drama only got worse when tabloids shared photos of François and his co-star Connor Storrie at JFK Airport together on January 14, sparking dating rumors and a lot of hateful comments.
François has addressed the harassment.
When speaking to the Toronto Star, François said he’s “always valued normalcy, and so there’s an adjustment period there,” which makes a lot of sense. But unfortunately, the actors have also had to deal with some fans who don’t seem to “understand the difference between reality and fiction,” as François put it.
He said that most fans have been great — but some seem to have forgotten the whole point of the show. “In general, fans have been incredibly positive and respectful,” he said. “For the ones that aren’t, I think it’s a lot of younger fans who don’t really understand the difference between reality and fiction.”
He added, “I honestly wish they would just rewatch the show, because it doesn’t seem like they got its message. Pay attention more closely. Did we watch the same show?” The show follows two closeted hockey rivals, Shane Hollander (portrayed by Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (portrayed by Connor), who keep their romance a secret for years.
Many fans agreed with François.
Though a lot of fans directed hateful and judgmental comments at François because of the dating rumors, many others defended him and urged everyone else to leave the Heated Rivalry stars alone. “The hateful, bullying, selfish comments here are the exact opposite of what HR is about,” one fan argued in the comments of a Just Jared Instagram post about the actors at the airport.
Someone else said it was extremely “disappointing” to see that some fans had apparently learned nothing from watching the show. “Didn’t you see how scared Ilya, Shane, and Scott were to come out because of people’s judgement?” they questioned. “Now look at you guys doing the exact same thing.”
And another fan said, “Normalize actors being friends without turning it into rumors, ships, or hate. They’re adults. We’re outsiders. Respect boundaries and let people live.”
Connor previously expressed a desire to keep his romantic life private.
Given that Heated Rivalry is a love story between queer men, there’s been a lot of speculation about the actors’ sexualities. During an interview with Deadline, Connor said, “It’s important for me to have a little bit of separation from the character in the show.”
He explained, “All I can really say is that I love Ilya, I love the community that this is a part of and that this caters to. I think that’s so much more interesting and valuable than doing just another run-of-the-mill, straight story. Who I date, who I sleep with, who this, that, whatever, I’m gonna keep that to myself.”
