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00:00And...
00:04Say it, everybody!
00:06What a story!
00:15Number two, Brandon Burke.
00:27Oh, and Rachel!
00:44Um, well, yeah, Rachel, I want to start with you.
00:58So, how did this start with you?
01:02The books or the show?
01:04The books.
01:05It started with me at my dining room table just getting struck with, um, I don't know, just these two
01:10characters.
01:11It just appeared in my head and I just immediately sat down and wrote what became the prologue of the
01:15book.
01:16You could have one sitting, so...
01:18And then it just went from there.
01:20And are you a hockey fan?
01:22Yes.
01:24Okay, it starts there.
01:25I was very, very young, yeah.
01:27And, um, the relationship between the two guys, was that just something that popped into your head?
01:36Yeah, I just thought it would be funny.
01:43Okay, so...
01:44That's when I, as a comedy writer, read it and was like, oh fuck, this is a sitcom.
01:52It's a romp.
01:53It's a romp.
01:53But I, I really, so I was sitting over there and that group of girls...
02:00I really do want to know though, what is it, because watching this, you guys, it's, it's better than Fifty
02:08Shades of Grey for you guys.
02:09This is, this is huge and I actually, I'm not going to ask any questions of the audience, but I
02:15do need to know, will one person here tell me what it is about this that really makes...
02:22The chemistry.
02:23The chemistry.
02:24That's crazy.
02:25Just human connection is really important.
02:27Especially, like, for queer people.
02:29Yeah.
02:29It's just, like, that connection is so important.
02:40Yeah, what I'm interested in though too is because it's hot and it's two guys.
02:47And it's just, it is so hot for you guys.
02:51You were embarrassed.
02:52You were like...
02:54I was kind of slapping myself because I had to shove myself up.
03:02And, no, I couldn't, I couldn't, I was just over there.
03:05Okay, but I want to ask you, um, so when did this come into your life?
03:10So, yeah, so, during the pandemic, I started listening to Audible.
03:15And this was one of the first books, I mean, that's true, I'm a big reader and I never listened
03:19to Audible.
03:19And I had friends be like, you listen to podcasts, like, and I couldn't read.
03:23Nobody else remembers this.
03:24I could not finish a book.
03:25I was like, why is my attention span so short?
03:27So I started listening and the first thing I did was listen to these books.
03:30And I loved them.
03:32And then I did a pretty big deep dive into the genre.
03:36In which I discovered that, I was writing some of these are, Rachel's a real writer.
03:42And her books are funny and smart and genuine and the connections between the characters are real.
03:48I agree with you.
03:49Like, there's something, and not, you know, romance is a largely uncritically reviewed genre.
03:57And so to learn what's good at it, you just have to kind of listen or read.
04:00You have to participate in it.
04:02And I listen to it a lot.
04:03And I can never shake the books.
04:05I love them.
04:06And then, as I kind of saw them get a bit more into the mainstream,
04:10it was really, I said, I feel like I said too many times, this Washington Post article.
04:14And I was just like, oh my god.
04:15If somebody else options these, I think I'll feel crazy.
04:19And so I was like, Brendan, Brady, sitting there, who deserves a lot of credit for this.
04:31What would you like to say now is we were trying to be like a low-budget comedy company,
04:36and then we turned into a premium smut company.
04:42I like our origin story.
04:45I'm assuming it's a villain arc.
04:46I don't know.
04:47I don't know.
04:49So I would think gay sex would be like snakes on a plane to sell.
04:54Like people would want this.
04:56Was it that easy for you guys to get this made?
05:00Legendary mints.
05:03We could give it.
05:04We could give it.
05:05We could give it.
05:06We could give it.
05:07We used to be roommates.
05:09Um, yes, no, I, you know what, I had no idea, we had no idea.
05:14Like, here's the thing that happened.
05:15I knew these books were popular.
05:17I loved them.
05:17I had no idea.
05:19Prior to that Washington Post article, I was not sure it was adaptable.
05:23There's, you've noticed, not a lot of sex.
05:26And, but I did.
05:28Um, but like, I did, but what happened was we didn't pitch it.
05:33I knew I was like, I'm gonna write the first one in that way.
05:35I'm gonna use this as a brutal concept because I don't, I don't know if people are gonna make,
05:39I'm gonna get execs to read this book.
05:40And as soon as we started talking about it though, Brent and I would talk, we would tell
05:44people, we were like, oh, we're not ready for this, this isn't ready yet, but we have,
05:48we optioned this series of gay hockey romances.
05:51The level of like, sorry, what did you say?
05:54The level of like leaning in was pretty extraordinary.
05:57And then, uh, it didn't, it did not take long, it was way easier than I thought it would be.
06:02That being said, it was quite difficult initially.
06:07We had, we had another, we had an adventure with another company.
06:10And, uh, it was the, but the question that I was, you know, like, kind of nervous with
06:16Crave too, was just like, you say you want this, but do you?
06:20Like, do you want this in theory?
06:23And then when you see the scripts, you start seeing the footage, you're like, oh, that's
06:27more than we thought we were getting for this.
06:30Uh, and Crave did, right, have been amazing the entire way through.
06:34But, uh, so once it was, once it happened, and Crave was the place where I'd done all the
06:38TV shows that I'd been larriking with, and so I knew all these people, and, uh, but it was a
06:43departure, and it was a big swing for them.
06:45Because they don't, yeah, because they, they also just don't, they're only recently starting to do
06:50one-on-one dramas at all, and so this was a big swing in a lot of ways.
06:55I, I think it worked.
06:57Yeah.
06:58Um, so, I want to know about how you found your boys.
07:05Um, because I feel like that chemistry was, but then I'm going to ask Kate, so I want to,
07:11you know what, I'm looking at, you've talked enough.
07:13Um, I do want to know what the casting process was like for both of you.
07:19Um, did you, maybe?
07:21It's been too long.
07:22It's been too long, and it was drawn out, and it was like, but, uh, it was very straightforward, besides...
07:30Well, when you read the script, was that straightforward?
07:32Like, just, a Wednesday?
07:35Yeah, I think immediately, as soon as I read the script, I kind of just fell in love with it,
07:39or at least the slides that got sent immediately, it sort of made sense to me, in a way.
07:44Um, and I just wanted to do it, and get my hands dirty, and just jump all the way in
07:50there.
07:51And never stop.
07:53Yeah.
07:54And Connor?
07:54I think for me, is this working?
07:56Yeah!
07:57I always had like an adjustment period, where I'm like, how loud?
08:00Um, yeah, I remember, I remember the original, uh, breakdown, it was like, 6'3 Russian bisexual hockey player.
08:15Um, and, uh, yeah, so I was like, I'm never gonna get this, this isn't gonna happen.
08:24I did it, heard back a month later, and, did like three, three reads, and...
08:29Yeah, yeah, eight months later.
08:32Yeah, yeah.
08:33Because when I first saw this, I really did not believe you were not Russian.
08:37There we go, I love that.
08:39The first, the first iteration of it that I did was a little bit more like...
08:44This is how we work!
08:47That's not, that's not true.
08:49Eyes before the mouth!
08:53And Jake was like, I love it.
08:57Let's change it.
08:58A fun story about Connor's audition, I, uh, a friend of ours, a bunch of ours up here, Sarah Gatton,
09:04a wonderful actress who did the voiceover for the, uh, Rookie of the Year Award.
09:08Uh, she watched a bunch of the tapes, and she loved Connor so much.
09:14This was before Hudson had even auditioned.
09:15And she said to me, she was like, we have to cast the Russian one.
09:18I was like, that one, that one's not Russian.
09:22So you fooled her.
09:24And the boot began.
09:28Well, the, the chemistry between them is palpable.
09:33And like, so much so that you saw before, I can't not think of you guys as Shane and Ilya.
09:38Like, I, I refuse to know your names properly.
09:41Um, that was, that was a choice.
09:44Um, but how did you, cause this feels like a tall order to be able to find these guys.
09:48So how, what was that search like for you?
09:52When they did the chemistry reading, it was very obvious.
09:55And, full disclosure, the chemistry was stacked for them.
09:59And it worked.
10:00Um, and then the network was concerned that they were too young.
10:05And we had another, I think they did another, like, tape together, where I was like,
10:10I was like, I don't even know what this note, imagine getting this note.
10:13I was like, I don't know what this note means, but play it like you're 30.
10:17It's all stupid fucking things to say.
10:20And, uh, I was like, play it like you're a bit more tired.
10:23And you don't want to play.
10:25I think it sounds like a chore.
10:2880 seconds.
10:30Do this, or, uh, a bit more of that energy.
10:34And it worked.
10:35And it worked.
10:35But yeah, your chemistry read was amazing.
10:38From the, from the, like, and, yeah, it was just very, it became very clear.
10:43At least to me, very quickly.
10:44Um, Francois.
10:47Yeah.
10:48Francois, who I believe is one of the greatest actors we have in this country.
10:52Um.
10:56Um, what I love so much is that, so I've seen all of this and, you don't know what's coming,
11:04it's amazing.
11:05You might, actually, because you've got the books.
11:07Um.
11:08But what I love is when your little, like, little thumbnail up there is shown, those girls are like, please.
11:15So, um, how did you become involved in this?
11:20Um.
11:22Thank you, Emily.
11:23Thank you, Emily.
11:23Of course, this isn't working, doesn't it?
11:27I don't think it is.
11:29Um.
11:30That was not.
11:31Yeah.
11:32Uh, thank you, Emily.
11:34Um, well, I've known Jacob for, we were counting earlier, 17 years now.
11:38Um, and when he gave me the call for this, I was unaware of the Rachel Reed game universe.
11:45Um, and, uh, I know that Scott Hunter now is a beloved character.
11:52Um, but there was something to the writing, and I know you only have just like a tiny little tease
12:01of it, but there's something in the writing of this, um, like, alpha-strong Captain America male, uh, that is
12:11just profoundly good.
12:13Uh, and that there's something that really moved me.
12:17And there's, um, the words that Jacob found to express that range so true, uh, that I was, I just
12:26felt like I, I had to say them at one point.
12:29And, um, I'm just so glad to be in such good company.
12:32I'm so proud of you.
12:36I, I did hear from a source that you wanted to dye your hair bleach blonde for this.
12:42And was that just, uh, a character choice, or?
12:44But the character is blonde with blue eyes in the books, and I knew I was gonna get shit.
12:49From the fandom.
12:51And I was also blonde, I had just, no, the thing is, I had dyed my hair blonde for another
12:55movie.
12:55And I was like, can we just use this, my hair's kinda tired.
12:59Uh, and Jacob was like, no.
13:02So I'm a little auburn.
13:05Um, Rachel, when, just, so having something of yours adapted, um, what was that process like, on a kinda day
13:15-to-day basis?
13:17Like an emotional role?
13:19Like seeing somebody interpret what you've done.
13:23Yeah.
13:24Jacob, this is not, I don't do this every day.
13:28Ever.
13:29It, it was an absolute dream from the very first moment that I, I spoke to Jacob the first time.
13:36Um, I, like, cause you laid out exactly everything that was important about the books and the characters, that you
13:42just got them right away.
13:43So, I never worried again after that.
13:46Cause, you know, not everybody gets, um, a dream adaptation, and gets to be this included, and gets to be
13:54this respected, having their source material respected this much.
13:58And, I don't know, just thank you.
14:09You saw, you saw, that's what it's like.
14:13It's crazy.
14:15Um, I know that Brendan is there and not here, but if he was here, would we talk about the
14:22sale to HBO?
14:24Yeah.
14:24Yeah, we would.
14:27Can you say it in French?
14:29Oh yeah, we, uh, ben, je vais vous dire premièrement, merci beaucoup d'être venu, tous les, tous les amis
14:34en fait, et tous les amis en fait, en fait, et tous les enfants de France est en fait, et
14:38tous les enfants de France est en fait.
14:38Les gens de France est en fait, évidemment, en doublage pour, si vous voulez, écouter comme ça.
14:44Pis, euh, euh, la dernière chose, c'est que oui, on est super excité d'être, d'être, euh, achetés
14:49par notre trio, c'est un, c'est un, c'est un rêve, nous, d'être sur des zones comme
14:54ça.
14:58And I'm just saying in French, they were super happy that HBO bought the show.
15:04For all the reasons I think it's just as exciting for us, it's fucking crazy.
15:09And we're so excited that it's happening at the same time as in Canada and of course our Australian friends.
15:16I knew it as soon as I read it that it would sell worldwide and it would use the same
15:20clothes.
15:25And if you don't trust the master.
15:31No, the whole thing has been overwhelming and I know there's a lot of fans here and really we owe
15:37so much of this to you.
15:40You know, we, Brendan and I, sold this show and we were like, oh, there's fans.
15:46They're gonna show up and then we were like, I don't know, but there's no obvious road map.
15:54And I certainly never felt anything like what it's like to be supported by you guys.
16:00Rachel tried to warn me, but it's just been absolutely crazy.
16:06And we, I don't, I have, you know, people have asked me, they're like, did the fans make this up?
16:10I don't know is the answer.
16:11I don't know.
16:12But I know it did not hurt.
16:15That was amazing.
16:16And it was amazing for everybody to see online.
16:18We're like, wow, there's a vocal and active group of people that want to see the show.
16:23And so that's, it's, that's crazy.
16:25And it's amazing.
16:26And it's very gratifying.
16:27Um, speaking to the fans, I, I, I, what they want to wrap this up with one, one small question.
16:35So the sex scenes, um, yes.
16:41So they were really fucking hot.
16:45Like really hot.
16:46And how was that, I don't want to ask you, how was that on set?
16:52Uh, to, to, kind of, you're going to get asked this a lot later on.
16:58So I'm just prepping you.
17:00Let's practice.
17:00This is practice.
17:01Um, maybe you can speak like, I don't want to say a word, you stand a word, you stand a
17:06word.
17:06No.
17:07Okay.
17:08To be honest, like, I don't think Hudson and I are very squeamish or weird about any of that.
17:14So, I mean, it's one of those things where, you know, someone else is uncomfortable or, you know,
17:19has a different way to think about things or has certain boundaries that need to be respected.
17:24You know, it's no boundaries.
17:25Yeah.
17:26Then it becomes, then it becomes a dance, right?
17:29Like, you know, you're always kind of being like, is this okay? Is this okay?
17:32We kind of, from the jump, with Jacob and Shayla, our intimacy coordinator, were like,
17:37I was like, you can do whatever you want to me, however you want to me.
17:42And it was kind of vice versa.
17:44And so, yeah.
17:46If that makes any sense.
17:48And she's like, I don't do anything.
17:50There we go.
17:52Let's get in there.
18:04What I'll say is, because, that would have to be a record.
18:08We took a, we, they are both very comfortable.
18:12And this show would not be what it is without these two and without the particular chemistry that they have
18:16and their comfort level with each other, which was amazing.
18:20Um, and also a great reminder that some of the on-set nudity stuff is actually about the crew.
18:25So when you say things like, Hudson, you have to wear a robe.
18:28You can't just walk around like that all day long because it's hot in the hotel room or whatever.
18:34Uh, it was a living experience for all of us.
18:37In some ways.
18:38Right?
18:39You remember that.
18:39It was just so much fun to be in my little ballerina slipper.
18:42I know.
18:43Which is what it looks like.
18:44I loved his little pouch.
18:45Which is what it looks like.
18:46Uh, I kept so many of them.
18:49Yeah.
18:50Yeah.
18:51Yeah.
18:51But we did, we did have a wonderful intimacy coordinator, I mean, Chella Hunter, who really,
18:57I mean, she was really good at everything.
19:00And we took this part very seriously.
19:03We tried to choreograph these sex scenes like dances so that we were just going through beats
19:07and emotions so that we could allow for, much like a dance, for like the connect, you don't
19:10have to think about the next movement, you can just think about the connection and do that.
19:14Because that was always, you know, the language of this show, what the fans love, what I love
19:18too, is that like, this is a sexual relationship and so we can't shy away from that.
19:23But we also have to make sure that these sex scenes are not just gratuitous sex scenes.
19:27We're learning about these guys and we're learning about their relationship.
19:30And so it's quite important that they be very specific.
19:32And without specificity, it's not interesting.
19:35It's just like a mess of bodies.
19:36And you can see that anywhere, you know?
19:38It's not sexy either.
19:39It's not sexy without that.
19:41And it is so...
19:42That's right.
19:43Intimacy.
19:44I know I'm not good at intimacy, but this is inspiring.
19:51So...
19:51And...
19:52Thank you all for making this.
19:55Thank you, guys.
19:56Absolutely.
20:03Thank you to everyone here at Imaginacion.
20:07Thank you to Emily for coming in and doing this and being amazing at it.
20:14And...
20:15And thank you to everyone that's here at Prairie, Mexim, and this whole team.
20:19We really appreciate everything from Prairie Quebec.
20:23Thank you so much.
20:24And thank you, you guys, for coming tonight.
20:25We appreciate you.
20:26A happy next year.
20:27Take a round.
20:28Thank you, Ivano.
20:31Thank you, everyone.
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