When Heated Rivalry creator Jacob Tierney told GQ that he wanted to “traffic in queer joy”, he probably didn’t expect his two leads to go full method during press week. From the moment Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie hit their first junket sofa, fans clocked something special: that elusive mix of genuine affection, chaos energy and unfiltered sincerity that usually only survives for about five seconds before a publicist kills it.
Through all the interviews, clip reels and viral skincare routines (Williams’ 5-step tutorial that somehow ran for almost 20 mins is a masterwork of chaos), the boys stayed tactile, warm and relentlessly off-script. “For me, it doesn’t feel spicy at all,” Storrie told Vulture. “Like, that’s me and my best friend.” Cue the collective swoon.
By this point, the Heated Rivalry promo trail has practically become its own spinoff. We’ve had the matching “sex sells” tattoos (yes, really), joint sleepovers (“We just love each other very dearly,” Williams told Variety), and enough cuddly red carpet content to power 475726 fan edits.
“We were like, ‘Oh, my God, if people saw us just getting ready in the morning, giving each other big spooning hugs, just to say we’re proud of each other,’ people would be going crazy,” Williams told Variety. “If only one fan had access, God forbid. But yeah, we just love each other very dearly.”
Williams once joked he’s “uncoachable” with media training, and he’s not wrong. He and Storrie treat their buzz not like a corporate obligation but like a shared fever dream they’re both trying to process in real time. Neither one seems jaded, both are frankly adorable, and it’s impossible not to root for them.
Oh, and the chemistry? Tierney knew it from day one. “The other guy was good,” Williams reportedly told him after screen tests, “but Connor felt like he was going to pin me down and fuck me”. Iconic casting note.
Of course, no media moment goes unrumbled. After I Love LA’s Jordan Firstman declared the show’s sex scenes “not gay enough” during his own HBO Max press stop, Heated Rivalry’s cast had to play diplomat. François Arnaud clapped back on Instagram: “Is there only one way to have ‘authentic’ gay sex on TV?”
Williams chose the Switzerland route — reposting a selfie with Firstman days later and wishing him well. Damage controlled. Crisis averted.
Maybe it’s just that in a moment where celebrity feels so manicured, watching two young, nervous actors stumble joyfully through overnight fame feels oddly healing. They’re tender without being performative. They talk about intimacy like adults. They seem to like the thing they made.
Everyone say thank you Heated Rivalry!!
Lead image: Instagram / YouTube
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