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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
15:54um
15:57is he wait is he also watching the show and he's like
16:01so
16:02he
16:02he introduced you to e-drive or anything
16:07but here's how i'll sell the show to people
16:08he dropped me off at the train station this morning
16:11and i was like
16:12i am so excited tonight
16:14fucking going to moderate this gay hot romance show
16:18and i'm so horny about it
16:21and he was like show me a scene
16:24i showed him a scene and he was like
16:26alright
16:28he was like i'm coming on the train with you dad
16:30and he was like
16:31he was like can't wait for you to get home
16:33and i'm like you better wait up
16:36um
16:37anyway
16:38alright
16:39so uh
16:40thank you for
16:41that's the right answer
16:42everybody
16:42my smutty and horny
16:44um
16:45jacob
16:47switching gears a little bit
16:48no
16:50please
16:52um
16:53you said in a recent interview that it was really
16:56that you wanted to maintain Shane Hollander's cultural identity
17:00yeah of course
17:01that you did not want to whitewash this character in this sport
17:04can you talk about why that was important to you
17:08um
17:08yeah i mean i for
17:10i guess kind of for me for the obvious reasons there are not a lot of
17:15there are not a lot of people who are 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 and i think it's a lot about i think it's it's
17:31a lot about Shane's personality um is that he is this kind of outsider and i think there's something very
17:38interesting that happens when you read a book and your character's name is Shane Hollander that your brain can whitewash
17:44him in a really easy way and uh there was never a question to me like this character had to
17:50be uh Asian and i think it just brings something much more in the
17:55more interesting to the story besides just honoring what's in the book i mean like it was never a question
17:58because in the book like i wouldn't question that period but then i also wanted to and we talked about
18:05this i wanted to address it like i wanted him to talk about it a little bit because there aren't
18:10besides and this show is not nick suzuki fan fiction uh rachel reed will tell you that though it because
18:17it and it's not it was published before he was the captain of the habs but like the fact that
18:22there is a half asian captain of the montreal hockey team right now aside there are not that many asian
18:27characters there are many asian players in hockey and so i thought like that is it just makes the whole
18:33thing more interesting and yeah it would be monstrous just to make him white
18:39well as you said yeah a confession i'll tell you something admit it to you okay i was just chatting
18:46now right no when i was reading the book even though i am of east asian background yeah shane hollander
18:52in my mind right was not asian yeah even as an east asian person yeah so i really appreciate this
19:00effort and so to you hudson what does it mean to you coming from your background to be able to
19:06play this character in this story that so many people are going to
19:09see it means a lot um my mom told me at one point that uh when i wanted i told
19:15her i was going to be an actor she said it it scared her because um she thought her being
19:22an asian lady that it would kind of limit my possibilities for roles i could get because she hadn't really
19:27seen um people uh like her um on the screen and then when i booked a role due to the
19:36fact there was a prerequisite
19:38that i am half asian um i think it just kind of made her see that things are changing and
19:46and there are new possibilities so that really felt amazing
19:57the majority of the fans of this book are women and queer and this show serves that audience prioritizes that
20:09audience
20:09as a part of this team
20:13how do you feel to be part of a show that prioritizes an audience that is often neglected underserved
20:22how do i how do i feel you personally yeah yeah i mean i i i've said this before i
20:30feel like
20:30getting into niche specific human experiences whether it's um shane being you know half asian
20:41or ilia being a foreigner both of them being queer i think getting into these really
20:47niche specific human experiences actually really give you a chance to open up and let people connect
20:54you know if it was super generic then it's kind of like it's so vanilla that there's kind of nothing
20:59to stick you know i was really surprised when i found out that most of the demographics of people who
21:04um love rachel's books um are predominantly women um because i think on the surface you would think
21:11you know mm romance and you would think men um i think i think those two communities just really
21:18relate to the feeling of being i'm in a box that box says i can be a b or c
21:25and i feel capable of more
21:27than that and i think these two characters feel that way you know living in the gray on some level
21:32feeling like what's expected of me what the world wants for 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 to be in that
21:43conversation
21:43it's also just way more interesting to i think appeal to that than you know middle middle middle
21:51america or something you know this ain't the taylor sheridan universe thank you
21:59um i guess that i do have a show called land man
22:04it's gonna be land man oil man truck man it's so filthy um you mentioned mm fiction right huge on
22:12tiktok a book talk sorry um bl boys love is exploding in popularity in the eastern markets
22:20in broadcast but we haven't seen shows the books yes but the shows in the western market really take
22:30off you are leading a movement you are i think i agree no i think uh i think that what
22:37we've seen
22:38is a lot of it skewing ya in the west right and i think i've said this a bunch of
22:42times like i would
22:43love to be a gay 14 year old or 15 year old now like to have to have grown up
22:48with heart stopper
22:49and young royals and all these like they're wonderful they're also for young people so
22:54they're sexually neutered and i think that this is that for grown-ups um because we get to have
23:01our fun too and as cool as it is to wait six episodes for people to hold hands it's also
23:06fun
23:06to watch them bang
23:11we do that bang bang bang bang okay yeah so that's what this show but i think that like
23:18i think that that's that that's the part that besides uh uh happy endings uh that's what gay
23:25people really don't get i didn't mean it that way i get it i hear it uh but like yeah
23:31we don't get
23:32happy endings and we don't get to see ourselves have satisfying sex we get like kind of like
23:38dirty secret trysts and then we get it's like you know that's that was the joy of this show to
23:44me
23:44and of rachel's books and getting to explore this world was just that these is this is a just a
23:49complete love story about two people who uh yeah who are obsessed with each other and can't stop
23:56fucking and then realize they're in love fucking is great yeah agreed amen um all right we have
24:03three minutes left so we're gonna do a lightning round ready just one pop song okay ready who breaks
24:09character first who breaks character first hudson hudson i'm always in character you don't get to say
24:16then who's most like their character sophie sophie sophie yes yeah not francois
24:31okay so lightning round yes shane and ilia's couple name is holonov no it's shalia it's a holonov
24:40oh shalia or holonov i won i won i won shalia is no no no okay okay um shalia sounds
24:55like a thing you
24:56have guys i think i have shalia um so how do we combine connor story and hudson williams
25:11that's the front of both of them that doesn't make any sense well y'all decide i'm not gonna
25:17shit myself
25:25this is a thing i'm asking okay okay what was the hudcon is the hudcon we didn't agree to that
25:34we're at hudcon five
25:38what is shane and ilia's theme song um i really want no i'm not gonna say i want i really
25:48i really
25:49want um ilia at some point to sing um that tattoo song remember
25:58it's a russian it's like a lesbian russian group they're super sick tattoo t-a-t-u
26:03do you do you can't tell if he's flunking with me i think i think we'll do that
26:07um just collectively for both of us you get a say yeah it's up literally it's my say it's up
26:12to me
26:13they don't get a say right well say i think when you have seen the show you'll see there are
26:19some
26:19featured songs and i would guess that it is between my moon my man by feist and i'll believe in
26:26anything
26:27by wolf parade okay that's cute i'll take this one um i'm thinking the rocky theme song maybe
26:33i'm gonna fly now you know i think it could score everything i would do anything for love but i
26:39won't do that me in love i don't understand which castmate would be the worst in an actual hockey
26:48fight first one or no worst meaning do the most damage or lose or lose the hardest however you
26:57want to answer hudson hudson used to do mma right yeah so hudson used to do mma so he would
27:03win
27:03yeah i would cry yeah francois would would run also cry yeah and then francois and i would cry
27:11together and have a competition over that you can cry harder okay before i let you go final
27:17question you heard what justin stockman said earlier there are more books yeah
27:22so have you been thinking about more how far along are you on the more
27:27you've shot every single one not as far i'll tell you what i'm not i'm not as far as i'm
27:33not as far
27:33as justin would like me to be so uh but listen if if literally justin wants more seasons that's up
27:44to
27:44it yeah yeah fuck yeah let's do it we yes i do have a plan i have a plan okay
27:49help us make that
27:51happen remember heated rivalry premieres on crave on friday tell everyone i know you've seen it but
27:58watch it again on social media all of that there's two episodes on friday and then episode as of next
28:04tell everyone who will like i did with my husband tell lady's husband remind him where she is
28:14thank you all of you thank you congratulations
28:20thank you
28:22remember tell everyone on crave heated robbery friday thank you good night
28:27thank you
28:30and
28:35say it everybody
28:36what a story
28:38whoo
28:40whoo
28:44whoo
28:46whoo
28:47whoo
28:47whoo
28:48whoo
28:48whoo
28:48whoo
28:48whoo
28:49whoo
28:49whoo
28:49whoo
28:49whoo
28:50whoo
28:56whoo
28:56whoo
28:59and Rachel
29:00whoo
29:04whoo
29:06whoo
29:08whoo
29:09whoo
29:10whoo
29:14whoo
29:15whoo
29:16well yeah Rachel i want to start with you
29:20whoo
29:22whoo
29:23whoo
29:24whoo
29:29So how did this start with you?
29:33The books or the show?
29:34The books.
29:36It started with me at my dining room table just getting struck with, I don't know, just
29:41these two characters just appeared in my head and I just immediately sat down and wrote
29:45what became the prologue of the book in one sitting.
29:48And then it just went from there.
29:51And are you a hockey fan?
29:53Yes.
29:54Okay, it starts there.
29:57Very, very young.
30:00And the relationship between the two guys, was that just something that popped into your head?
30:07Yeah, I just thought it would be funny.
30:14That's when I, as a comedy writer, read it and was like, oh fuck, this is a sitcom.
30:22It's a rom.
30:24But I really, so I was sitting over there and that group of girls, I really do want to know
30:33though, what is it?
30:34Because watching this, you guys, it's better than Fifty Shades of Grey for you guys.
30:40This 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 makes...
30:55Just human connection is really important.
30:58Especially like for queer people.
30:59Yeah.
31:00It's just like that connection is so important.
31:10It's so hot.
31:11Yeah.
31:13What I'm interested in though too is because it's hot and it's two guys and it's just, it is so
31:20hot for you guys.
31:22You were embarrassed.
31:23You were like...
31:25I was kind of slapping myself because I had to shove myself up.
31:33No, I couldn't.
31:34I couldn't, I couldn't.
31:35I was coming there.
31:36Okay, but I want to ask you, 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 the first books.
31:47I mean, that's true.
31:48I'm a big reader and I never listened to Audible and a friend would be like, you listen to podcasts.
31:52And I couldn't read.
31:54Nobody else remembers this.
31:55I could not finish a book.
31:56I 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 them.
32:03And then I did a pretty big deep dive into the genre.
32:07During which I discovered that I was writing some of these are, Rachel's a real writer.
32:13And her books are funny and smart and genuine and the connections between the characters are real.
32:19I 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.
32:31You have to participate in it.
32:32And I listen to a lot and I can never shake the books.
32:36I love them.
32:37And then as I kind of saw them get a bit more into the mainstream, it was really, except
32:42I feel like it was 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.
32:50And so I was like, Brendan, Brady, sitting there who deserves a lot of credit for this.
33:02What would you like to say now is we were trying to be like a low budget comedy company and
33:07then we turned into a premium smut company.
33:13I like our origin story.
33:15I like, I'm assuming it's a villain arc.
33:17I'm really excited.
33:19So I would think 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.
33:36I knew.
33:36I knew.
33:37I knew.
33:37I knew.
33:38We used to be roommates.
33:39Yeah.
33:40Um, yes, no, I, you know what?
33:43I had no idea.
33:44We had no idea.
33:45Like here's the thing that happened.
33:46I knew these books were popular.
33:47I loved them.
33:48I had no idea.
33:50Prior to that Washington Post article, I was not sure it was adaptable.
33:54There's, you've noticed, not a lot of sex.
33:58And, but I did it.
33:59Um, but like I did, but what happened was we didn't pitch it.
34:04I knew I was like, I'm going to write the first one in that way.
34:06I'm going to use this as a group of concept because I don't, I don't know if people are going
34:09to make,
34:10I'm going to get execs to read this book.
34:11And as soon as we started talking about it though, Brennan and I were talking,
34:15we would tell people, we were like, oh, we're not ready for this.
34:17This isn't ready yet, but we have, we optioned this series of gay hockey romances.
34:22The level of like, sorry, what did you say?
34:24The level of like leaning in was pretty extraordinary.
34:27And then, uh, it didn't, it did not take long.
34:30It was way easier than I thought it would be.
34:33That being said, it was quite difficult initially.
34:37We had, we had another, we had an adventure with another company.
34:41And it was the, but the question that I was, you know, like kind of nervous with Crave too,
34:48was just like, you 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,
34:56you're like, oh, that's more than we thought we were getting for this.
35:01And Crave did, right, have been amazing the entire way through.
35:05But, so once it was, once it happened, and Crave was the place where I'd done other TV shows,
35:09that I'd been letter-kitting with, and so I knew all these people, and, uh,
35:13but 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,
35:19they're only recently starting to do one-hour dramas at all.
35:22And so this was a big swing in a lot of ways.
35:26I think it worked.
35:28Yeah.
35:29Um, so, I want to know about how you found your boys.
35:36Um, because I feel like that chemistry is-
35:40Then I'm going to ask Kate, so I want to-
35:42You 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, there was like-
35:56But, and, uh, it was very straightforward, besides-
36:00When you read the script, was that straightforward?
36:03Like, just, a Wednesday?
36:06Yeah, I think immediately, as soon as I read the script,
36:08I kind of just fell in love with it, or 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.
36:22And never stop.
36:24And Connor?
36:25I think for me-
36:26Is this working?
36:27Yeah!
36:28I always had like an adjustment period where I'm like, how loud?
36:31Um, yeah, I remember-
36:34I remember the original, uh, breakdown.
36:37It was like, 6'3 Russian bisexual hockey player.
36:43And I was like, I'm not 6'3.
36:47I don't speak Russian.
36:49Um, and, uh, yeah, so I was like, I'm never gonna get this.
36:54This isn't gonna happen.
36:55And I did it, heard back a month later, and did like three, three reads, and-
37:00Yeah, yeah, eight months later.
37:01Yeah, eight months later.
37:02Yeah.
37:03Yeah.
37:03Because when I first saw this, I really did not believe you were not Russian.
37:08There we go.
37:09I love that.
37:10The 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.
37:20I was in through the mouth!
37:23And, um, Jake was like, I love it.
37:28Love changing.
37:29A fun story about Connor's audition.
37:31I, uh, a friend of ours, a bunch of ours over here, Sarah Gatton, a wonderful actress who did the
37:36voiceover for the, uh, Rookie of the Year Award.
37:38Uh, 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.
37:49I was like, that one.
37:50That one's not Russian.
37:53So you fooled her.
37:55And the boobie gave me.
37:59Well, the- the chemistry between them is palpable.
38:03And like, so much so that you saw before, I can't not think of you guys as Shane and Illya.
38:08Like, I- I refuse to know your names properly.
38:12Um, that was- that was a choice.
38:15Um, but how did you- cause 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 the chemistry reading, it was very obvious.
38:25And, 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, take together.
38:40Where I was like- I 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.
38:48It's all 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.
38:5980 seconds.
39:00And, like, we're gonna do this, or-
39:03Uh, a 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-
39:10Yeah, it was just very- it became very clear.
39:13At least to me, very quickly.
39:16Um, Francois?
39:18Yeah.
39:19Francois, who I believe is one of the greatest actors we have in this country.
39:22Um, what 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 loved was when your little- like, little thumbnail up there showed-
39:44Those girls were like, please!
39:46So, um, how did you become involved in this?
39:51Um, thank you, Emily.
39:54Of course, this isn't working.
39:55No?
39:58I don't think it was.
40:00Um, that was not.
40:02Uh, 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-
40:14Rachel Reed- gay universe.
40:16Um, and, uh, I know that Scott Hunter-
40:20came out as a beloved character.
40:24Um, but there was something to the writing, and I know you only have-
40:30just like a tiny little tease of it, but-
40:32there's something in the writing of this, um, like, alpha-strong Captain America male-
40:40uh, that is just profoundly good, uh, and that there's something that really moved me.
40:47And there's, um, the words that Jacob found to express that range so true, uh, that I was-
40:56I just felt like I- I had to save him at one point.
41:00And, um, I'm just so glad to be in such good company.
41:03I'm so proud of being blonde.
41:06I- I did hear from a source that you wanted to dye your hair bleach blonde for this, and
41:13was that just a-
41:14a 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.
41:21Um, and I was also blonde- I had- just know, the thing is, I had dyed my hair
41:25blonde for another movie.
41:26And I was like, can we just use this mic? I was kinda tired.
41:30Uh, and Jacob was like, no.
41:33So I'm a little auburn.
41:34Um, Rachel, when- just- so having something of yours adapted, um, what was that process like,
41:44on a, kinda, day-to-day basis?
41:48Oh, like, an emotional role?
41:49Oh, like, seeing somebody interpret what you've done.
41:53Yeah.
41:54Jacob, this is not- I don't do this every day.
41:58Ever.
42:00It- it was an absolute dream from the very first moment that I- I spoke to Jacob the
42:06first time.
42:07I- like, cause you laid out exactly everything that was important about the books and the characters.
42:12You just got them right away.
42:13So, I never worried again after that.
42:17Cause, you know, not everybody gets, um, a dream adaptation.
42:22And gets to be this included.
42:24And gets to be this respected.
42:26Having their source material respected this much.
42:29And, I don't know.
42:31Just thank you.
42:39You saw him.
42:41You saw him.
42:42What it's like.
42:43It's crazy.
42:46Um, I know that Brendan is there and not here.
42:50But if he was here, would we talk about the sale to HBO?
42:54Yeah.
42:55Yeah.
42:55Yeah, we went.
42:58Can you say it in French?
42:59Oh, yeah, oui.
43:01Ben, je vais vous dire premièrement.
43:03Merci beaucoup d'être venu, tous les amis.
43:07Je veux dire que Francis de Frey, évidemment, on ouvrage 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, nous, d'être sur des ondes comme ça.
43:26On est aujourd'hui, 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,
43:50but 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.
44:02Uh, no, the whole thing has been, you know, overwhelming,
44:04and I know there's a lot of fans here, and really we owe so much of this to you.
44:10Um, you know, we, Brennan and I, sold this show,
44:14we were like, oh, there's fans.
44:17They're gonna show up.
44:19And then we were like, I don't know, there's no obvious roadmap.
44:25And I certainly never felt anything like what it's like to be supported by you guys.
44:30Rachel tried to warn me, and, uh, but it's, yeah, it's just been absolutely crazy.
44:37And we, I don't, I have, you know, people have asked me, they're like,
44:40did the fans make this up?
44:41I don't know, is the answer?
44:42I don't know, but I, I know it did not hurt.
44:46That was amazing.
44:47And it was amazing for everybody to see online,
44:49but like, wow, there's a vocal and active group of people that want to see the show.
44:54And so that's, it's, that's crazy.
44:56And it's amazing.
44:57And it's very gratifying.
44:58Um, um, speaking to the fans, yes, I, I, I, what they want to wrap this up, like,
45:03one, one small question.
45:06So the sex scenes, um, yes.
45:12So they were really fucking hot, like, really hot.
45:17And how was that, I don't want to ask you, how was that on set?
45:23Uh, to, to, kind of, you're gonna get asked this a lot later on.
45:29So I'm just prepping you.
45:31Let's practice.
45:31This is practice.
45:32Um, maybe just speak, like, I don't want to say a word, you stand with me.
45:36That's right.
45:37No.
45:38Okay.
45:39To be honest, like, I don't think Hudson and I are very squeamish or weird about any of that.
45:44So, I mean, it's one of those things where, you know, someone else is uncomfortable or, you know,
45:50has a different way of dealing with things or has certain boundaries that need to be respected.
45:55You know, it's no boundaries.
45:56Yeah.
45:57Then it becomes, then it becomes a dance, right?
46:00Like, you know, you're always kind of being like, is this okay? Is this okay?
46:03We've kind of, from the jump, with Jacob and Cheyla, our intimacy coordinator, were like,
46:08I was like, you can do whatever you want to me, however you want to me.
46:13And it was kind of vice versa.
46:15And so, yeah.
46:17If that makes any sense.
46:19I was like, I'll do anything.
46:21Let's go.
46:22Let's get in there.
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.
47:08In some ways.
47:09Right?
47:09You 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, I kept so many of them.
47:20Yeah.
47:21Yeah.
47:21But we did.
47:24We did have a wonderful intimacy coordinator.
47:26I mean, Chela Hunter, who really, I mean, she was.
47:31And we took this part very seriously.
47:34We tried to choreograph these sex scenes like dances so that we were just going through beats and emotions
47:38so that we could allow for, much like a dance, for like, you don't have to think about the next
47:42movement.
47:43You can just think about the connection and do that.
47:45Because that was always, you know, the language of this show, what the fans love, what I love too, is
47:50that like, 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.
47:59And 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...
48:14Intimacy.
48:15I know I'm not good at intimacy, but this is inspiring.
48:21So...
48:22And...
48:23Thank 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...
48:46And...
48:46And thank you to everyone that's here at Prave.
48:48Maxim and his whole team.
48:50We really appreciate everything from Prave Quebec.
48:53Thank you so much.
48:54And thank you, you guys, for coming tonight.
48:56We appreciate you.
48:57Have a good night.
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