- 3 months ago
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00:03Hudson Williams
00:10and Connor Story
00:18Congratulations
00:19Thank you
00:22Thank you
00:22I was listening, watching the audience reactions
00:27they were squealing
00:29panting, laughing
00:32at all the right times
00:33If you're panting at the wrong time
00:36see a doctor
00:37and if you're laughing at the wrong times
00:40ouch
00:43Jacob
00:43I'm going to start with you
00:45so you listened to
00:47Rachel Reid's
00:49Game Changers series on audiobook
00:51then you reached out
00:54to acquire the rights
00:56I did
00:57I followed her on Instagram
00:58I slid into her DMs
01:00I followed her on Instagram
01:01she followed me back
01:02and then we started
01:03we started chatting
01:04So from then to now
01:06Yeah
01:07you wanting to adapt
01:08the book
01:09to now
01:10how does it feel?
01:12How are you?
01:12You good?
01:13Great, I'm good. Are you good?
01:14Yes, I feel good
01:15It's great
01:16Yeah, it's crazy
01:19It's
01:20This show
01:21that was three summers ago
01:24How does math work?
01:25That was
01:27the first season of the Traders
01:29that's how I can remember it
01:31I was on set on
01:31season one of the Traders Canada
01:33so it was two summers ago
01:34and that's when I
01:36I followed Rachel on Instagram
01:38so in TV language
01:40that is like lightning speed
01:42it's very, very, very fast
01:46and I am very happy
01:49I'm very tired
01:50and I'm very overwhelmed
01:52So what was it about Shane and Ilya's story
01:56Holonoff that made you want to start here?
01:59I mean
02:01it's
02:02it's the
02:02I mean
02:03I love the books
02:05I love them all
02:06Rachel, you know I do
02:07and
02:08Heated Rivalry
02:09it's the
02:10iconic one
02:11and I think it's the iconic one for a reason
02:14it doesn't follow
02:16a lot of the normal tropes of a romance novel
02:21and they're
02:22I mean Rachel's writing is so good in general
02:25but these
02:25these characters are so well written
02:27they're so alive
02:28they're funny
02:29their dynamic is interesting
02:31you care about them
02:32and then fundamentally there's something incredibly sweet about the fact that they meet
02:37when they're rookies
02:38and
02:39the whole show
02:40spoilers
02:41takes place over eight years
02:42and it's like
02:43it's this long
02:45smutty
02:46love story
02:46but ultimately
02:47they're each other's first love
02:49which is
02:49ultimately really
02:50sweet
02:51and
02:52very conservative
02:53and very romantic
02:54and I
02:55and I like that
02:56Let me come back to the smutty in a minute
02:59Hudson
02:59let's talk about Shane
03:00he is between the two characters
03:02more reserved
03:03and in the book
03:04you know
03:06we learn about him through the inner monologue
03:08right?
03:08the expectations placed on him
03:10his worries
03:12his frustration
03:13so how did you bring all that emotion to life from the page?
03:18a good director
03:19a good writer
03:21I think it came down to
03:25I think letting the fans in
03:27it started with Jacob's scripts
03:28and that was a lot
03:30clearly he was
03:31he was always going through something
03:32and then reading the book
03:35he means
03:35he means shade
03:36not me
03:37yeah
03:38clearly Jacob was always going through something
03:40it was always a new thing
03:41on sad new neuroses
03:42and he just
03:43take us
03:43take it out on us
03:44I hate it here
03:46no
03:46no
03:47but then
03:48Rachel also
03:50her book
03:51like
03:52gave so much more inner monologue
03:53that I wasn't thinking
03:54when I read those scenes
03:55in the script
03:56and then
03:58I made the great choice
03:59to go on twitter
04:00and reddit
04:01and everywhere
04:01just to get everyone's opinion
04:03on Shane
04:04because I wanted to bring it all in
04:07and then they had so many opinions
04:10and so many ideas
04:11of what he was going through
04:13in these moments
04:13and what he was thinking
04:14and how he must have felt
04:16and so
04:17at first I was like
04:18fuck
04:18sorry
04:19do I choose one of these
04:20and then I never did
04:22and it was always
04:23so many things rattling around
04:25in my brain
04:25and I never made a choice
04:28and hopefully
04:30it just worked
04:31and if it didn't
04:33I am so sorry
04:35yeah
04:36that's my answer
04:40Connor
04:40Ilya's
04:42charismatic
04:45he has a more
04:46his charismatic
04:47and like assertive exterior
04:49kind of conceals
04:50a vulnerability
04:51so what was it
04:53that clicked for you
04:54in understanding
04:55who he is?
04:56Understanding who he is
04:57underneath the
04:58the sort of exterior
04:59however you want to
05:01interpret that question
05:02and whether or not
05:02you went on reddit too
05:03I don't know
05:04yeah
05:04I did not
05:08no I mean honestly
05:09it was very
05:10his character is pretty
05:11straightforward for me
05:12actually
05:13if you look at his
05:14circumstances
05:15based on
05:16not only heated rivalry
05:17but also long game
05:18but we'll stick to
05:19heated rivalry
05:20his background is so
05:22specific
05:22that you kind of
05:24can't help but
05:25have a really distinct
05:26idea of what that
05:27person looks like
05:28you know
05:28coming from Russia
05:30being secretly
05:32bisexual
05:32or you know
05:33and having already
05:35come to terms
05:36with that
05:37having you know
05:38a shitty bro
05:40brother
05:40having you know
05:42dead mom
05:43having an Alzheimer's
05:44ridden father
05:45being a professional
05:46hockey player
05:47like it's also so specific
05:48that you kind of
05:49can't help but
05:51I don't know
05:52have an idea of what
05:52that must feel like
05:53and what that must be like
05:54so I think the pressure
05:55is just on and he kind of
05:56runs from it
05:57with that exterior
05:58you both do such a great job
06:01playing your respective
06:03characters
06:04but then of course
06:05it's the chemistry between
06:07Shane and Iliad
06:08I mean
06:09I believed every finger touch
06:12every kiss
06:18I told you only when we're
06:20paying you
06:22you don't get it for free
06:23you don't get it for free
06:24you don't get it for free
06:26I'm sure everyone else here
06:27did too
06:28every charged gaze
06:31all of that
06:32so
06:34how did you build
06:35this relationship
06:36off screen
06:37to bring it
06:39on screen
06:40to this point
06:41we've gotten this question
06:43a lot
06:44I know
06:44and I want to hear it again
06:46yeah
06:46and I think that
06:48every time I answer it
06:49I'm just
06:49it's the same thing
06:50and it just makes me
06:52realize it even more
06:53I mean
06:54I think we just have
06:55very compatible energies
06:56and I think we're both
06:57very bold
06:59and kind of
07:00we're game to get
07:01like intimate
07:02and vulnerable
07:03and get two inches
07:04from each other's face
07:05and we're both
07:06comfortable with that
07:07and when you have someone
07:08who matches that energy
07:09it just becomes
07:09you know
07:10even more kinetic
07:12yeah
07:12match our freak
07:13match our freak
07:14and I also think
07:16we just have
07:17an ability to look like fools
07:19and try a bunch of things
07:20that Jacob hates
07:22and I think a lot of that
07:24is like just given options
07:25you know
07:26just try this
07:27try that
07:27you know
07:28give like Shane a nervous tick
07:30and then
07:30he's like we'll leave that
07:31on the editing room floor
07:32and then just all shaped up
07:34nice and dandy
07:35but we both have that ability
07:37thank you
07:38thank you for hearing
07:40to just try stuff
07:40he loves it
07:42I know you know
07:44the fans of this book
07:46are very intense
07:47about this book
07:49and this
07:50relationship
07:53and they're
07:53they care very much
07:55about signature scenes
07:57tuna melt
07:59Russian phone call
08:01confession scene
08:02all of that
08:04it's all gonna be there
08:04so
08:06was there a scene
08:08in particular
08:08Jacob
08:09that you were most excited
08:11to tackle
08:11or more nervous
08:12or
08:14whatever
08:16I haven't answered this
08:17version of this yet
08:18you know what was exciting
08:19for me to write
08:21was
08:22the scene on the phone
08:23from Russia
08:24because
08:25it's not
08:26kind of
08:27it's
08:27I mean obviously it's in the book
08:29but it's not written what he's actually saying
08:30so I wrote him a whole
08:33fucking very long
08:35monologue
08:36and
08:36and that was fun
08:38it was really fun
08:39to do that
08:39it was fun to
08:41add more Svetlana
08:43it was kind of fun to help build a bit more of the world out
08:47I took great pleasure in that
08:49while I hope and think honoring the like the spirit of the story
08:54I was very aware of the tuna melt
08:56I was very aware of the cottage
09:01I was
09:01there's a lot
09:02that I mean yeah
09:03like they're big moments for me too
09:05I'm a fan
09:05like I wanted to do them
09:07to do them all
09:08I mean a lot of them are in that
09:09like that
09:10the Vegas rooftop is like
09:12huge
09:13and
09:14so is that shower
09:16so
09:16I mean there's so much that is like
09:18so
09:18I mean that's what's so great about this book
09:21is that it kind of hops from these
09:23incredibly memorable scenes
09:24to another
09:25incredibly memorable scene
09:28Hudson and Connor
09:28is there a scene that you predict
09:30fans will
09:31lose it over
09:32once it airs?
09:34I'm very bad at gauging that now
09:37because
09:37like recently the
09:39the gym scene was released
09:40I was like oh that's pretty tame
09:42people might just be like
09:43oh that's cute
09:44but they just were feral and frothy
09:46on the mountain
09:47and
09:47so I'm just a horrible
09:50horrible gauge for everything
09:52clearly
09:53um
09:53but hopefully all of it
09:55I hopefully just you know
09:56I'm trying to think of other iconic moments
09:58from the book
09:59that
10:00um
10:00will become
10:01that'll come to life like that
10:03like highlight points
10:04oh
10:05I hope the
10:05a scene
10:06can I spoil
10:07um the scene
10:08whoa
10:11does it spoil anything?
10:13there is a whole
10:14book out there
10:15no that's fine
10:15I like
10:16but there are things
10:17yeah
10:18I think you're talking about the scene
10:20uh
10:21before
10:22this
10:22Vegas hotel room
10:24in the bathroom
10:25yep
10:25that's the one
10:26do you mean?
10:27yes it is
10:28uh yeah that's a great scene
10:29that's an episode
10:30that's an episode too
10:31and I hope it
10:32makes them
10:33wait I don't
10:34wait I don't know what we're talking about
10:35after
10:36you guys present
10:37uh
10:38oh yeah
10:39yes
10:40there's a
10:41there's a
10:42like a hard to find
10:43vodka involved
10:44yes
10:44yes
10:45no I mean that seems great
10:46that seems great
10:47that's in Vegas right?
10:49it's very long
10:49the scene before though
10:51that's like
10:52when they're discussed
10:53when they have a
10:54they kind of have a fight
10:54post awards
10:55a fight
10:56so it's not that hot and heavy
10:58but it's um
10:59it's hot and heavy
11:00yeah
11:02um
11:04you are
11:05the stars of the show
11:07but of course
11:08it wouldn't be complete
11:10without your colleagues
11:11without your co-stars
11:12a few of them are here tonight
11:14right?
11:15Dylan Walsh
11:16Dylan Walsh
11:17oh my god
11:18Senya Daniella
11:20we have so many other
11:21one uh
11:22Callan Potter's here
11:23uh with Hayden
11:24whoo
11:25whoo
11:26I know he matters a lot to you
11:28uh
11:29and we have
11:30not with us Sophie Nellis
11:31who plays Rose
11:32and Francois Arnault
11:33obviously who plays Scott Hunter
11:35and all kinds of other
11:37brilliant talented actors
11:38all over the place
11:39and yeah
11:41it's a great cast
11:42we were very lucky
11:45no
11:45was there
11:47no I don't want you to
11:48wait
11:48what were you supposed to say that?
11:50was there a question in there?
11:51I wanted you to talk about your co-stars
11:53and working with the ensemble cast
11:55and what that meant to you
11:56oh
11:56it was fantastic
11:58I
12:00it was
12:01um
12:01and I think
12:03just you know
12:04you haven't met these people
12:05they're playing
12:06people you need to have chemistry with
12:08they already come in
12:10with this kind of
12:10expectation of
12:11a relationship
12:12and
12:13I think us sort of
12:15overwhelmed
12:15by just
12:16everyone having the best attitude
12:18um
12:19and just being so friendly
12:20and
12:21really
12:23careful
12:24with the
12:25their characters
12:26and the text
12:27and they really cared
12:28none of it felt like
12:29they were just kind of showing up
12:30to do a
12:31paycheck
12:32or something
12:33they were
12:33they were in it
12:34to win it
12:35and we were both in
12:36we were both in very new circumstances
12:38I mean me
12:39not speaking Russian
12:40and not playing hockey
12:42Hudson also not playing hockey
12:43it was really great
12:44because we
12:45also can't speak Russian
12:46fun fun
12:47but can speak Russian
12:48I can do Russian
12:50давай
12:51spasibo
12:51that's
12:53that's my thing
12:54um
12:56but I mean we were in a lot of scenarios where
12:59you know
13:00we were kind of out there
13:01and we really need some help and assistance
13:02and it was great
13:03I mean
13:04Alexei
13:05my brother is here
13:07um
13:08also
13:08um
13:09Dania
13:10who plays Svetlana
13:11like I mean
13:12it was just great to have people who actually know
13:14and they were so incredibly supportive
13:16and that was so nerve-wracking
13:17everyone who helped us do
13:19um
13:20all things hockey
13:21were so supportive
13:22like
13:22it's so scary to show up
13:25and like
13:25not look like an idiot
13:27and then look like an idiot
13:29and someone would be like
13:30you don't look that bad
13:31it's like
13:32is
13:33is a really great experience
13:34on and editing around you looking like an idiot
13:37hearing your directors say that you have to edit around you
13:41you know
13:42there's a lot of hurtful possibilities here
13:44they did a really
13:44they did a very good job with the hockey
13:45I think we should also
13:46uh
13:47I don't know if
13:47even if she made it tonight
13:48but our intimacy coordinator
13:50Jayla Hunt
13:51she is here
13:51I saw her
13:52where is she
13:54that's nice to hear
13:57a hero
13:58a hero
13:59a hero
13:59this show would not have been what it was without her
14:01and uh
14:02just made an enormous
14:04there's obviously
14:06I mean this was essentially a full-time job for Jayla as you can imagine
14:09she was there almost every day
14:10um
14:12and
14:12we
14:14the
14:14the way that that
14:15you know
14:16that was something
14:17uh frankly
14:18I'm just inventing my own questions now Eleni sorry
14:20I had never
14:21my next question was about getting smutty and horny
14:23let's get dirty
14:24like tell me about the horny and the smutty
14:26I've never shot a lot
14:27I've shot sex scenes before as a director and as an actor
14:31but
14:31to this extent
14:32and this elaborate and this volume
14:34where it was such a part of the language of the show
14:36and we
14:37we rehearsed them
14:38uh
14:38at the very beginning of the
14:40but
14:40with Jayla
14:41but then
14:42having her there and her input
14:44it was
14:45it was
14:46uh
14:47it just
14:48she helped us all have a language where we could just become so comfortable with it
14:52and
14:53obviously as you can imagine by the end
14:55it was like
14:56oh my god
14:56put on a robe
14:57like they're so
14:58they're too comfortable
14:59to remind like the nudity stuff is also for the crew
15:02like you have to put on clothes
15:03um
15:05and uh
15:06but like
15:07the level of facilitation
15:09and
15:10what it gave us
15:13we have to do so much with the sex in the show
15:15because the sex is about character
15:16for it
15:17you
15:17their connection changes
15:19they start off so young
15:20they get to be 25
15:21they realize they're in love
15:22like that
15:23that the sex can't be static
15:24and it's boring
15:25we all love smut
15:27but like
15:27it's boring if it's the same thing over and over again
15:30you don't want to see that
15:31you want to see something different
15:32you want it to feel different
15:33to have a different level of engagement
15:35you really are learning about this relationship through it
15:37so to have chayla as an ally
15:39as a
15:40as a guide
15:41throughout this was just amazing
15:43and i know that
15:44the boys loved her too
15:45thank you for your work
15:47thank you for your work
15:48thank you for your work
15:51thank you for your work
15:57is he wait is he also watching the show and he's like
16:01so
16:02he
16:02he introduced you to hinder
16:06He's not about me, but here's how I'll sell the show to people.
16:09He dropped me off at the train station this morning.
16:12And I was like, I am so excited tonight.
16:14Fucking going to moderate this gay, hot romance show.
16:19And I'm so horny about it.
16:22And he was like, show me a scene.
16:24I showed him a scene, and he was like, all right.
16:28He was like, I'm coming on the train with you, Dan.
16:30And he was like, can't wait for you to get home.
16:34And I'm like, you better wait up.
16:37Anyway, all right.
16:39So thank you for involving my smutty and horny.
16:46Jacob, switching gears a little bit.
16:49No.
16:50Please.
16:53You said in a recent interview that it was really, that you wanted to maintain Shane Hollander's cultural identity.
17:01Yeah, of course.
17:01That you did not want to whitewash this character in this sport.
17:05Can you talk about why that was important to you?
17:09Yeah.
17:09I mean, I guess kind of for me, for the obvious reasons, there are not a lot of people who
17:16are not white in the NHL.
17:18And there are not a lot of people who are not white as leads in romances either.
17:25And so that was a huge part of it.
17:27And I think it's a lot about, I think it's a lot about Shane's personality.
17:34Is that he is this kind of outsider.
17:37And I think there's something very interesting that happens when you read a book and your character's name is Shane
17:43Hollander, that your brain can whitewash him in a really easy way.
17:46And there was never a question to me, like, this character had to be Asian.
17:51And I think it just brings something much more interesting to the story.
17:56Besides just honoring what's in the book.
17:57I mean, like, it was never a question because it's in the book.
17:59Like, I wouldn't question that period.
18:02But then I also wanted to, and we talked about this, I wanted to address it.
18:06Like, I wanted him to talk about it a little bit.
18:08Because there aren't, besides, and this show is not Nick Suzuki fan fiction.
18:15Rachel Reed will tell you that.
18:17And it's not.
18:18It was published before he was the captain of the Habs.
18:20But, like, the fact that there is a half-Asian captain of the Montreal hockey team right now aside, there
18:26are not that many Asian characters.
18:28There are many Asian players in hockey.
18:30And so I thought, like, that is, it just makes the whole thing more interesting.
18:34And, yeah, it would be monstrous just to make him white.
18:40Well, as you said, a confession, I'll tell you something, admit it to you.
18:45When I was reading the book.
18:45We're just chatting now, right?
18:46No, when I was reading the book, even though I am of East Asian background, Shane Hollander, in my mind,
18:54was not Asian.
18:55Yeah.
18:56Even as an East Asian person.
18:58So I really appreciate this effort.
19:00And so to you, Hudson, what does it mean to you, coming from your background, to be able to play
19:06this character in this story that so many people are going to see?
19:09It means a lot.
19:12My mom told me at one point that when I told her I was going to be an actor, she
19:17said it scared her because she thought her being an Asian lady, that it would kind of limit my possibilities
19:26for roles I could get because she hadn't really seen people like her on the screen.
19:33And then when I booked a role due to the fact there was a prerequisite that I am half Asian,
19:40I think it just kind of made her see that things are changing and there are new possibilities.
19:47So that really felt amazing.
19:57Connor, the majority of the fans of this book are women and queer, and this show serves that audience, prioritizes
20:08that audience.
20:09As a part of this team, how do you feel to be part of a show that prioritizes an audience
20:19that is often neglected, underserved?
20:23How do I feel?
20:24You personally, yeah.
20:25Yeah, I mean, I've said this before, I feel like getting into niche-specific human experiences, whether it's Shane being,
20:39you know, half Asian or Ilya being a foreigner, both of them being queer, I think getting into these really
20:46niche-specific human experiences actually really give you a chance to open up and let people connect.
20:54You know, if it was super generic, you know, if it was super generic, then it's kind of like, it's
20:57so vanilla that there's kind of nothing to stick, you know.
21:00I was really surprised when I found out that most of the demographics of people who love Rachel's books are
21:07predominantly women, because I think on the surface you would think, you know, MM romance and you would think men.
21:13And I think those two communities just really relate to the feeling of being, I'm in a box, that box
21:23says I can be A, B, or C, and I feel capable of more than that.
21:28And I think these two characters feel that way, you know, living in the gray on some level, feeling like
21:32what's expected of me, what the world wants from me, and what I am or not, always cohesive.
21:38So, and I definitely relate to that too, you know, so it feels very good to be in that conversation.
21:44It's also just way more interesting to, I think, appeal to that than, you know, middle America or something, you
21:53know.
21:53Like, this ain't the Taylor Sheridan universe.
22:00But I do have a show called Landman.
22:04It's going to be Landman, Oilman, Truckman.
22:07It's so filthy.
22:09You mentioned MM Fiction, right?
22:11Huge on TikTok.
22:12Woo!
22:13A book talk, sorry.
22:15BL, Boys Love, is exploding in popularity in the eastern markets in broadcast.
22:21But we haven't seen shows, the books, yes, but the shows in the western market really take off.
22:31You are leading a movement.
22:32You are.
22:33I agree.
22:34No, I think that what we've seen is a lot of it skewing YA in the west, right?
22:41And I think, I've said this a bunch of times, like, I would love to be a gay 14-year
22:45-old or 15-year-old now, like, to have, to have grown up with Heartstopper and Young Royals and all
22:50these.
22:51Like, they're wonderful.
22:52They're also for young people.
22:54So they're sexually neutered.
22:56And I think that this is that for grownups.
22:59Because we get to have our fun, too.
23:02And as cool as it is to wait six episodes for people to hold hands, it's also fun to watch
23:06them bang.
23:08Woo!
23:11We do that.
23:12Bang.
23:13Bang.
23:14Bang.
23:15Okay.
23:16Yeah, so that's what this show is.
23:17But I think that, like, I think that that's the part that, besides happy endings, that's what gay people really
23:26don't get.
23:26I didn't mean it that way.
23:29I get it.
23:29I hear it.
23:30But, like, yeah, we don't get happy endings.
23:33And we don't get to see ourselves have satisfying sex.
23:35We get, like, kind of, like, dirty secret trysts.
23:40And then we get, it's like, you know, that was the joy of this show to me and of Rachel's
23:45books and getting to explore this world was just that this is just a complete love story about two people
23:51who, yeah, who are obsessed with each other and can't stop bucking and then realize they're in love.
23:58Bucking is great.
23:59Yeah, agreed.
24:00Amen.
24:01Um, all right.
24:02We have three minutes left, so we're going to do a lightning round.
24:05Ready?
24:05It's just one pop song.
24:08Okay, ready?
24:09Who breaks character first?
24:11What was the question?
24:12Who breaks character first?
24:13Hudson.
24:14Hudson.
24:14I'm always a character.
24:15You don't get to say that.
24:17Who is most like their character?
24:21Sophie?
24:22Sophie.
24:23Sophie.
24:24Yes.
24:24Yeah.
24:27Not Francois.
24:32Okay, so, lightning round.
24:36Yes, lightning, lightning.
24:36Shane and Ilya's couple name is Holonov.
24:39No, it's Shalia.
24:40It's a Holonov.
24:41Oh.
24:42Shalia?
24:45Or Holonov.
24:46Woo!
24:48I won.
24:49I won.
24:50I won.
24:51Shalia is, no.
24:52Shalia?
24:53No.
24:53Okay.
24:54Shalia sounds like a thing you have.
24:57Guys, I think I have Shalia.
24:59Um, so, how do we combine Connor's story and Hudson Williams?
25:04What do we, we, we, I'm stories.
25:06No.
25:06Uh.
25:07Yeah.
25:08Hudner.
25:08Hudner.
25:09Con.
25:10Hud.
25:10Hudcon.
25:11Hudcon.
25:11That's the front of both of them.
25:13That doesn't make any sense.
25:15Well, y'all decide.
25:16I'm not going to shit myself.
25:18Hudson.
25:19Hudson.
25:20Hudson.
25:21Hudson.
25:21Hudson.
25:22Hudson.
25:23Hudson.
25:24No.
25:24I don't know.
25:24I don't know.
25:25This is your right here.
25:26This is a thing.
25:27I'm asking, okay.
25:29What was the, Hudcon is the, Hudcon.
25:32Hudcon.
25:32Hudcon.
25:32We didn't agree to that.
25:34Hudcon.
25:35We're at Hudcon 5.
25:38What is Shane and Ilya's theme song?
25:42Um, I really want, no, I'm not going to say that.
25:47I want, I really, I really want, um, Ilya at some point to sing, um, that tattoo song.
25:53Remember?
25:58It's a Russian, it's like a lesbian Russian group.
26:01They're super sick.
26:02Tattoo, T-A-T-U.
26:03T-A-T-U, yep.
26:04I can't tell if he's flunking with me.
26:06I think, I think we'll do that.
26:07Um.
26:08Just collectively for both of us.
26:09You get a say.
26:10Yeah, it's up, literally, it's my say.
26:11It's up to me.
26:13They don't get a say.
26:15Right.
26:15Well, say.
26:16I think when you have seen the show, you'll see there are some featured songs, and I would
26:21guess that it is between My Moon, My Man by Feist, and I'll Believe in Anything by Wolf
26:27Parade.
26:29Okay, that's cute.
26:29I'll take this one.
26:30Um, I'm thinking the Rocky theme song, maybe.
26:33Do I want to apply now?
26:34You know, I think it could score everything.
26:37I would do anything for love, but I won't do that.
26:39Me and love?
26:40I don't.
26:41Yeah, I'm sorry.
26:45Which castmate would be the worst in an actual hockey fight?
26:49Francois or no?
26:50Yeah.
26:52Worst meaning do the most damage or lose the hardest.
26:56However you want to answer that.
26:57Hudson used to do MMA, right?
27:01Yeah.
27:01So Hudson used to do MMA, so he would win.
27:03Yeah.
27:04I would cry.
27:05Yeah.
27:06Francois would run.
27:08Also cry?
27:09Yeah.
27:09And then Francois and I would cry together.
27:12And have a competition over that.
27:14You can cry harder.
27:16Okay, before I let you go, final question.
27:17You heard what Justin Stockman said earlier.
27:19There are more books.
27:21Yeah.
27:22So have you been thinking about more?
27:25Oh yeah.
27:25How far along are you on the more?
27:27You've shot every single one.
27:30Not as far.
27:30I'll tell you what I'm not.
27:32Have you been the scene?
27:33I'm not as far as Justin would like me to be.
27:35So, uh, but listen.
27:39If, if literally Justin wants more seasons, that's up to him.
27:44Yeah.
27:44Yeah.
27:45Fuck yeah.
27:45Let's do it.
27:46We, yes, I do have a plan.
27:47I have a plan.
27:49Okay.
27:50Help us make that happen.
27:52Remember, Heated Rivalry premieres on Crave on Friday.
27:56Tell everyone.
27:57I know you've seen it, but watch it again on social media and all of that.
28:01There's two episodes on Friday and then episodes as of next Friday.
28:05Tell everyone who will, like I did with my husband.
28:09Tell Lainey's husband.
28:11Remind him where she is.
28:14Thank you, all of you.
28:17Congratulations.
28:22Remember, tell everyone on Crave, Heated Rivalry, Friday.
28:26Good night.
28:34Say it everybody.
28:37Honest Rivalry.
28:58Oh, and Rachel!
29:15Um, well, yeah, Rachel, I want to start with you.
29:29So how did this start with you?
29:33The books of the show.
29:34It started with me at my dining room table just getting struck with, um, I don't know,
29:41just these two characters just appeared in my head and I just immediately sat down and
29:45wrote what became the prologue of the book, in one sitting, so, and then it just went
29:49from there.
29:51And are you a hockey fan?
29:53Yes.
29:54Okay, it starts there.
29:57I was very, very young, yeah.
29:58And, um, the relationship between the two guys, was that just something that popped
30:06into your head?
30:07Yeah, I just thought it would be funny.
30:14Okay, so, that's when I, as a comedy writer, read it and was like, oh, fuck, this is sicko.
30:23It's a romp.
30:23Um, but I, I really, so I was sitting over there and that group of girls, I really do
30:32want to know, though, what is it, because watching this, you guys, it's, it's better than
30:39Fifty Shades of Grey for you guys.
30:41This is, this is huge and I actually, I'm not going to ask any questions of the audience,
30:46but I do need to know, will one person here, tell me, what it is about this, that really
30:52makes...
30:55Just human connection is really important, especially, like, for queer people, and yeah,
31:00it's just, like, that connection is so important.
31:11Um, yeah, what I'm interested in, though, too, is because it's hot, and it's
31:16two guys, and it's, it's just, it is so hot for you guys, you were embarrassed, you were
31:24like, oh, I was kind of slapping myself, because I had to shove myself up.
31:32And, uh, no, I couldn't, I couldn't, I couldn't, I was just, I was not with him.
31:36Okay, but I want to ask you, um, so when did this come into your life?
31:41So, yeah, so during the pandemic, I started listening to Audible, and this was one of
31:46the first books, I mean, that's true, I'm a big reader, and I never listened to Audible,
31:50and a friend would be like, you listen to podcasts, like, and I couldn't read, nobody else remembers
31:54this, and I could not finish a book, I was like, why is my attention span so short?
31:58So I started listening, and the first thing I did was listen to these books, and I loved
32:02them, and then I did a pretty big deep dive into the genre, in which I discovered that
32:08I was writing some of these are, Rachel's a real writer, and her books are funny and
32:15smart and genuine, and the connections between the characters are real, I agree with you,
32:20like, there's something, and not, you know, romance is a largely uncritically reviewed genre,
32:28and so to learn what's good at it, you just have to kind of listen or read, you have to
32:31participate
32:32in it, and I, I listen to a lot, and I can never shake the books, um, I love them,
32:37and then,
32:38as I kind of saw them get a bit more into the mainstream, it was really, I said, I feel
32:43like
32:43I said this too many times, this Washington Post article, and I was just like, oh my god,
32:46if somebody else options these, I think I'll feel crazy, and so I was like, Brendan, Brady,
32:52who's sitting there, who deserves a lot of credit for this, and, uh, we were, uh,
33:03what would you like to say now, is we were trying to be, like, a low-budget comedy company,
33:07and then we turned into a premium smut company, um, I like our origin story, I like, I'm assuming
33:16it's a villain arc, I'm really excited.
33:19Um, well, so I would think, and, and gay sex would be like snakes on a plane to sell,
33:25like, people would want this.
33:27Was it that easy for you guys to get this made?
33:31Legendary mints.
33:34We could give it.
33:35We could give it.
33:36We could give it.
33:38We used to be roommates.
33:40Um, yes, no, I, you know what, I had no idea, we had no idea.
33:45Like, here's the thing that happened, I knew these books were popular, I loved them,
33:48I had no idea, prior to that Washington Post article, I was not sure it was adaptable.
33:54There's, you've noticed, not a lot of sex.
33:57And, but I did it.
33:59Um, but, um, but, like, I did, but what happened was, we didn't pitch it, I knew I was like,
34:05I'm gonna write the first one in that way, I'm gonna use this as a proven concept, because I don't,
34:08I don't know if people are gonna, I'm gonna get execs to read this book.
34:11And as soon as we started talking about it, though, Brent and I would talk, we would tell people,
34:15we were like, oh, we're not ready for this, this isn't ready yet, but we have, we optioned this series
34:20of gay hockey romances.
34:22The level of, like, sorry, what'd you say?
34:24The level of, like, leaning in was pretty extraordinary.
34:27And then, uh, it didn't, it did not take long, it was way easier than I thought it would be.
34:33That being said, it was quite difficult initially, we had, we had another, we had an adventure with another company,
34:40and, uh, it was the, but the question that I was, you know, like, kind of nervous with with Crave,
34:48too, was just like,
34:48you say you want this, but do you?
34:51Like, do you want this in theory?
34:54And then when you see the scripts, you start seeing the footage, you're like, oh, that's more than we thought
34:59we were getting for this.
35:01Um, and Crave did, right, have been amazing the entire way through, but, uh, so once it was, once it
35:07happened,
35:07and Crave was the place where I had done other TV shows that I did Larry Kenny with, and so
35:11I knew all these people,
35:12and, uh, but it was a departure, and it was a big swing for them.
35:16Because they don't, yeah, because they, they also just don't, they're only recently starting to do one-on-one dramas
35:21at all.
35:22And so this was a big swing in a lot of ways.
35:26I think it worked.
35:28Um, so, I want to know about how you found your boys.
35:36Um, because I feel like that chemistry is,
35:40but then I'm going to, okay, so I want to, you know what, I'm looking at, you've talked enough.
35:44Um, I do want to know what the casting process was like for both of you.
35:50Um, did you even?
35:51It's been too long.
35:53It's been too long, and it was drawn out, and it was like,
35:56but, and, uh, it was very straightforward, besides.
36:00When you read the script, was that straightforward?
36:03Like, just, you're a Wednesday?
36:06Yeah, I think immediately, as soon as I read the script, I kind of just fell in love with it,
36:10or at least, besides, it got sent immediately.
36:12It sort of made sense to me, in a way.
36:15Um, and I just wanted to do it, and get my hands dirty, and just jump all the way in
36:21there.
36:24Um, and Connor?
36:25I think for me, is this working?
36:27Yeah!
36:28I always had like an adjustment period, where I'm like,
36:30how loud, what kind of happening?
36:32Um, yeah, I remember, I remember the original, uh, breakdown.
36:38It was like, 6'3 Russian bisexual hockey player.
36:45Um, and, uh, yeah, so I was like, I'm never gonna get this.
36:54This isn't gonna happen.
36:55I did it, heard back a month later, and did like three, three reads, and...
37:00Yeah, we are, eight months later.
37:02Yeah, yeah.
37:03Because when I first saw this, I really did not believe you were not Russian.
37:08There we go, I love that.
37:09Yeah, the first, the first iteration of it that I did was a little bit more like...
37:15This is how we work!
37:18That's not, that's not true.
37:20Isaac through the mouth!
37:23Um, and Jake was like, I love it.
37:28Let's change it.
37:29A fun story about Connor's audition, I, uh, a friend of ours, a bunch of ours up here,
37:34Sarah Gatton, a wonderful actress who did the voiceover for the, uh, Rookie of the Year award.
37:39Uh, she watched a bunch of the tapes, and she loved Connor so much.
37:44This was before Hudson had even auditioned, and she said to me, she was like,
37:47We have to cast the Russian one.
37:50That one's not Russian.
37:53Um, so you fooled her.
37:55And the boot began.
38:00The chemistry between them is palpable.
38:04And like, so much so that you saw before, I can't not think of you guys as Shane and Illya.
38:08Like, I refuse to know your names properly.
38:12Um, that was a choice.
38:15Um, but how did you, because this feels like a tall order to be able to find these guys.
38:19So how, what was that search like for you?
38:23When they did a chemistry reading, it was very obvious.
38:26And, full disclosure, the chemistry was stacked for them.
38:29And it worked.
38:31Um, and then the network was concerned that they were too young.
38:36And we had another, I think they did another, like, tape together, where I was like,
38:41I was like, I don't even know what this note, imagine getting this note.
38:43I was like, I don't know what this note means, but play it like you're 30.
38:48That's all the stupid fucking things to say.
38:51And, uh, I was like, play it like you're a bit more tired, and you don't want to play it.
38:56I think it sounds like a chore.
38:58Or, 80 seconds, like, we're gonna do this, or...
39:03A bit more of that energy, and it worked.
39:05And it worked.
39:06But yeah, your chemistry read was amazing.
39:09From the, from the, like, and, yeah, it was just very, it became very clear,
39:13at least to me, very quickly.
39:15Alright.
39:16Um, Francois?
39:18Yeah.
39:19Francois, who I believe is one of the greatest actors we have in this country.
39:23Um...
39:29What I love so much is that, so I've seen all of this, and...
39:34You don't know what's coming, it's amazing.
39:36You might, actually, because you've got the books.
39:38But, um, but what I love is when your little, like, little thumbnail up there is showed,
39:43those girls are like, please come on.
39:46So, um, how did you become involved in this?
39:52Um...
39:53Thank you, Emily.
39:54Of course, this isn't working.
39:55Turn it off.
39:56Oh.
39:58I don't think it is.
40:00Um...
40:01That was not.
40:02Yeah.
40:03Uh, thank you, Emily.
40:04Um, well, I've known Jacob for, we were counting earlier, 17 years now.
40:09Um, and when he gave me the call for this, I was unaware of the Rachel Reid game universe.
40:16Um, and, uh, I know that Scott Hunter now is a beloved character.
40:24Um, but there was something to the writing, and I know you only have, like, a tiny little tease of
40:32it, but there's something in the writing of this, um, like, alpha-strong Captain America male, uh, that is just
40:42profoundly good.
40:44Uh, and there's something that really moved me, and there's, um, the words that Jacob found to express that range
40:53so true, uh, that I was, I just felt like I had to save him at one point.
40:59Um, and, um, I'm just so glad to be in such good company. I'm so proud of being blonde.
41:05Aw!
41:05Aw!
41:06I, I did hear from a source that you wanted to dye your hair bleach blonde for this, and was
41:13that just a character choice, or?
41:15Well, the character is blonde with blue eyes in the books, and I knew I was gonna get shit.
41:20From the fandom.
41:22And I was also blonde, I had just, you know, the thing is, I had dyed my hair blonde for
41:25another movie.
41:26And I was like, can we just use this, Mike? I was kinda tired.
41:29Uh, and Jacob's like, no.
41:32So I'm a little auburn.
41:36Um, Rachel, when, just, so having something of yours adapted, um, what was that process like, on a, kinda, day
41:46-to-day basis?
41:48Oh, like, an emotional way?
41:49Oh, like, seeing somebody interpret what you've done.
41:53Yeah.
41:53Yeah.
41:54Jacob, this is not, I don't do this every day.
42:00It, it was an absolute dream from the very first moment that I, I spoke to Jacob the first time.
42:07I, like, cause, you laid out exactly everything that was important about the books and the characters, that you just
42:13got them right away.
42:14So, I never worried again after that, cause, you know, not everybody gets, um, a dream adaptation,
42:21and gets to be this included, and gets to be this respected, having their source material respected this much.
42:29And, I don't know, just thank you.
42:39we, we saw, we saw, we saw what it was like.
42:43It was crazy.
42:46Um, I know that Brendan is, there and not here, but if he was here, would we talk about the
42:53sale to HBO?
42:54Yeah.
42:55Yeah, we went.
42:58Will you say it in French?
42:59Oh, yeah, oui.
43:01Ben, je vais vous dire, premièrement, merci beaucoup d'être venus, tous les amis.
43:07Je vais vous dire, Francis de Frey, évidemment, en doublage pour, si vous voulez, écouter comme ça.
43:14Puis la dernière chose, c'est que oui, on est super excités d'être achetés par un trio.
43:21C'est un rêve pour nous d'être sur des ondes comme ça.
43:26Oh, c'est un jour, c'est quelque chose de super spécial, évidemment.
43:29And I'm just saying in French, they were super happy that HBO bought the show.
43:35For all the reasons I think it's just as exciting for us, it's fucking crazy.
43:40And we're so excited that it's happening at the same time as in Canada,
43:44and of course our Australian friends.
43:46I knew it as soon as I read it, that it would sell on the world.
43:50Oh, I didn't know what he used to say about it.
43:51It was the first time.
43:56And if you don't trust the master.
44:02No, the whole thing has been, you know, overwhelming, and I know there's a lot of fans here, and really,
44:07we owe so much of this to you.
44:11You know, we, Brendan and I, sold this show, we were like, oh, there's fans.
44:17They're gonna show up, and then we were like, I don't know, there's no obvious road map, and I certainly
44:26never felt anything like what it's like to be supported by you guys.
44:31Rachel tried to warn me, but it's, yeah, it's just been absolutely crazy, and we, I don't, I have, you
44:39know, people have asked me, they're like, did the fans make this up?
44:41I don't know, is the answer, I don't know, but I, I know, it, it did not hurt.
44:46That was amazing, and it was amazing for everybody to see online, but like, wow, there's a vocal and active
44:51group of people that want to see the show, and so that's, it's, that's crazy, and it's amazing, and it's
44:57very gratifying.
44:59Speaking to the fans, I, I, I, what I want to wrap this up is one, one small question.
45:06So the sex scenes, um, yes, so they were really fucking hot, like, really hot, and how was that, I
45:20don't want to ask you, how was that on set, uh, to, to, kind of, you're gonna get asked this
45:27a lot later on, so I'm just prepping you, just practice.
45:32Um, maybe, just speak, like, I don't want to say a word, you stand where you stand.
45:37You know, okay.
45:39To be honest, like, I don't think Hudson and I are very squeamish or weird about any of that, so,
45:46I mean, it's one of those things where, you know, someone else is uncomfortable, or, you know, has a different
45:51way to deal with things, or has certain boundaries that need to be respected, you know, it's no boundaries.
45:56Yeah, then it becomes, then it becomes a dance, right? Like, you know, you're always kind of being like, is
46:01this okay, is this okay?
46:03We kind of, from the jump, with Jacob and Cheyla, our intimacy coordinator, were like, I was like, you can
46:09do whatever you want to me, however you want to me, and it was kind of vice versa, and so,
46:15yeah.
46:16If that makes any sense.
46:19I was like, I don't do anything.
46:21I was like, oh, let's get in there.
46:28Okay.
46:34What I'll say is, cause, that's a record.
46:38We took a, we, they are both very comfortable.
46:42And this show would not be what it is without these two, and without the particular chemistry that they have,
46:47and their comfort level with each other, which is amazing.
46:50Um, and also a great reminder that some of the on-set nudity stuff is actually about the crew.
46:56So when you say things like, Hudson, you have to wear a robe.
46:58You can't just walk around like that, walking around, because it's hot in the hotel room, or whatever.
47:05Uh, it was a living experience for all of us, in some ways.
47:09Right? You remember that?
47:10It was so much fun to be in my little ballerina slipper.
47:13I know.
47:14He loved his little pouch.
47:15It was like, uh, I kept so many of them.
47:20Yeah.
47:21But we did, we did have a wonderful intimacy coordinator, I mean, Chella Hunter, who really, I mean, she was
47:29really good at everything.
47:31And we took this part very seriously.
47:34We tried to choreograph these next scenes like dances, so that we were just going through beats and motions, so
47:38that we could allow for, much like a dance, for like the connect-
47:45That was always, you know, the language of this show, what the fans love, what I love too, is that
47:50like, this is a sexual relationship.
47:52And so we can't shy away from that.
47:54But we also have to make sure that these sex scenes are not just gratuitous sex scenes.
47:58We're learning about these guys, and we're learning about their relationship.
48:01And so it's quite important that they be very specific.
48:03And without specificity, it's not interesting.
48:05It's just like a mess of bodies.
48:07And you can see that anywhere, you know?
48:09It's not sexy either.
48:10It's not sexy without that.
48:12And it is so-
48:12That's right.
48:13Intimacy.
48:14Intimacy.
48:15I know I'm not good at intimacy, but this is inspiring.
48:21So, and thank you all for making this.
48:26Thank you guys.
48:34Thank you to everyone here at Imagination.
48:38Thank you to Emily for coming in and doing this and being amazing at it.
48:45And thank you to everyone that's here at Prairie of Mexico and this whole team.
48:50We really appreciate everything from Prairie of Quebec.
48:53Thank you so much.
48:54And thank you to you guys for coming tonight.
48:56We appreciate you.
48:57Come on.
48:58Have a good night.
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