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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 also watching the show and he's like
16:01so
16:02he DRAVED
16:19listen
16:19it's not about me
16:19it's not about me
16:22was like show me a scene i showed him a scene and he was like all right he was like
16:29i'm coming on the
16:30train with you and he was like i can't wait for you to get home and i'm like you better
16:35wait up
16:38anyway all right so uh thank you for that's the right answer
16:42my smutty and horny um jacob switching gears a little bit no
16:52um you said in a recent interview that it was really that you wanted to maintain shane
16:59hollander's cultural identity yeah of course you did not want to whitewash this character in this
17:04sport can you talk about why that was important to you um yeah i mean i for i guess kind
17:11of for
17:11me for the obvious reasons there are not a lot of there are not a lot of people who are
17:17not white in
17:17the nhl and there are not a lot of people who are not white as leads in romances either and
17:25so
17:26that was a huge part of it and i think it's a lot about i i think it it's it's
17:31a lot about shane's
17:32personality um is that he is this kind of outsider and i think there's something very interesting
17:40that happens when you read a book and your character's name is shane hollander that your
17:43brain can whitewash him in a really easy way and uh there was never a question to me like this
17:49character had to be uh asian and i think it just brings something much more interesting to the story
17:56besides just honoring what's in the book i mean like it was never a question because in the book
17:59like i wouldn't question that period but then i also wanted to and we talked about this i wanted to
18:05address it like i wanted him to talk about it a little bit because there aren't besides and this show
18:12is not nick suzuki fan fiction uh rachel reed will tell you that though it because it and it's not
18:18it was published before he was the captain of the haves but like the fact that there is a half
18:23asian
18:23captain of the montreal hockey team right now aside there are not that many asian characters
18:28there are many asian players in hockey and so i thought like that is it just makes the whole thing
18:33more interesting and yeah it would be monstrous just to make him white well as you said yeah a
18:42confession i'll tell you something admit it to you okay i was just chatting now right no when i was
18:47reading the book even though i am of east asian background yeah shane hollander in my mind right
18:54was not asian yeah even as an east asian person yeah so i really appreciate this effort and so to
19:01you
19:01hudson what does it mean to you coming from your background to be able to play this character in
19:07this story that so many people are going to see it it means a lot um my mom told me
19:13at one point that
19:14uh when i wanted i told her i was going to be an actor she said it it scared her
19:19because um she thought
19:21her being an asian lady that it would kind of limit my possibilities for roles i could get because
19:27she hadn't really seen um people uh like her um on the screen and then when i booked a role
19:35due to
19:36the fact there was a prerequisite that i am half asian um i think it just kind of
19:44made her see that things are changing and and there are new possibilities so that really felt amazing
19:58the majority of the fans of this book are women and queer and this show serves that audience
20:07prioritizes that audience as a part of this team how do you feel to be part of a show that
20:18prioritizes an audience that is often neglected underserved yeah how do i how do i feel you
20:25personally yeah yeah i mean i i i've said this before i feel like getting into niche specific human
20:35experiences whether it's um shane being you know half asian or illia being a foreigner both of them being
20:44queer i think getting into these really niche specific human experiences actually really give
20:50you a chance to open up and let people connect you know if it was super generic then it's kind
20:56of like
20:56it's so vanilla that there's kind of nothing to stick you know i was really surprised when i found out
21:02that most of the demographics of people who um love rachel's books um are predominantly women
21:08um because i think on the surface you would think you know mm romance and you would think men um
21:14i
21:15think i think those two communities just really relate to the feeling of being i'm in a box that
21:22box says i can be a b or c and i feel capable of more than that and i think
21:28these two characters
21:29feel that way you know living in the gray on some level feeling like what's expected of me what the
21:34world
21:34wants for me and what i am or not always cohesive so and i definitely relate to that too you
21:40know so
21:41it feels very good to to be in that conversation it's also just way more interesting to i think
21:47appeal to that than you know middle middle middle america or something you know this ain't the taylor
21:55sheridan universe thank you um 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
22:13a book talk sorry um bl boys love is exploding in popularity in the eastern markets in broadcast but
22:22we haven't seen shows the books yes but the shows in the western market really take off you are leading
22:31a movement you are i agree no i think uh i think that what we've seen is a lot of
22:38it skewing ya in
22:40the west right and i think i've said this a bunch of times like i would love to be a
22:44gay 14 year old or
22:4615 year old now like to have to have grown up with heart stopper and young royals and all these
22:51like
22:51they're wonderful they're also for young people so they're sexually neutered and i think that this
22:57is that for grown-ups um because we get to have our fun too and as cool as it is
23:03to wait six episodes
23:04for people to hold hands it's also fun to watch them bang we do that bang bang bang bang okay
23:15yeah
23:16so that's what this show but i think that like i think that that's the that's the part that besides
23:22uh uh happy endings uh that's what gay people really don't get i didn't even mean it that way
23:29i get it i hear it uh but like yeah we don't get happy endings and we don't get to
23:33see ourselves
23:34have satisfying sex we get like kind of like dirty secret trysts and then we get it's like
23:41you know that's that was the joy of this show to me and of rachel's books and getting to explore
23:46this
23:46world was just that these is this is a just a complete love story about two people who uh yeah
23:53who are obsessed with each other and can't stop bucking and then realize they're in love
23:58fucking is great yeah agreed amen um all right we have three minutes left so we're gonna do a
24:04lightning round ready it's just one pop song okay ready who breaks character first what was the
24:11question who breaks character first hudson hudson i'm always you don't get to say that
24:16character right who's most like their character sophie sophie sophie yes yeah
24:27not francois
24:32okay so
24:34lightning round yes
24:36shane and ilia's couple name is hollanoff no it's shalia it's a hollanoff oh
24:41oh shalia
24:44or hollanoff
24:47i won i won i won
24:51shalia is no no no okay okay um
24:55sounds like a thing you have
24:59um so how do we combine connor's story and hudson williams
25:04oh what are we on stories no uh
25:07hudner
25:09con hud con
25:11that's the front of both of them that doesn't make any sense
25:15well y'all decide i'm not gonna ship myself
25:17i'm
25:18constant constant constant constant
25:22hudson williams
25:25this is a thing i'm asking okay okay what was it
25:29hudcon is the
25:31hudcon we didn't agree to that okay we're at hudcon five
25:38what is shane and ilia's theme song
25:42um i really want no i'm not gonna say
25:46what is it i want i i really i really want um ilia at some point to sing um that
25:52tattoo
25:52song remember
25:58it's a russian
25:59it's like a lesbian russian group they're super sick tattoo t-a-t-u
26:03i think i think we'll do that
26:09yeah it's up literally it's my say it's up to 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
26:25and i'll believe in anything by wolf parade okay that's cute i'll take this one um i'm thinking
26:31the rocky theme song maybe i'm gonna fly now you know i think it could score everything
26:37i would do anything for love but i won't do that me in love
26:44which castmate would be the worst in an actual hockey fight
26:49francois or no
26:51worst meaning do the most damage
26:54any of you
26:54or lose the hardest
26:56however you want to answer hudson hudson used to do mma right yeah so hudson used to do mma so
27:02he would
27:03win yeah i would cry yeah francois would would 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 question
27:17you heard what justin stockman said earlier there are more books yeah so have you been thinking about
27:24more how far along are you on the more you've shot every single one i'll tell you what i'm not
27:32i'm
27:32not as far as i'm not as far as justin would like me to be so uh but listen if
27:40if literally justin
27:42wants more seasons that's up to yeah yeah yeah let's do it we yes i do have a plan
27:47i have a plan okay help us make that happen remember heated rivalry premieres on crave
27:55on friday tell everyone i 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 episode as of next tell everyone who will like i did with my
28:07my husband tell lady's husband remind him where she is thank you all of you thank you congratulations
28:20thank you remember tell everyone on crave heated robbery friday thank you good night
28:27thank you
28:31and
28:35say it everybody
28:36what a story
28:44can i go to
28:47Thank you, Brandon.
28:59Oh, and Rachel.
29:15Um, well, yeah, Rachel, I want to start with you.
29:29So, how did this start with you?
29:33The books or the show?
29:36It 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.
29:48So, and then it just went from there.
29:50And, are you a hockey fan?
29:53Yes.
29:54Okay, it starts there.
29:57Very, very young, yeah.
29:59And, um, the relationship between the two guys, was that just something that popped into your head?
30:07Yeah, I just thought it would be funny.
30:14Okay, so, that's when I, as a comedy writer, read it and was like, oh fuck, this is a sitcom.
30:22It's a romp.
30:24It's a romp.
30:24But I, I really, so I was sitting over there and that group of girls, I really do want to
30:32know though, what is it, because watching this, you guys, it's, it's better than Fifty Shades of Grey for you
30:40guys.
30:40This is, this is huge and I actually, I'm not going to ask any questions of the audience, but I
30:46do need to know, will one person here tell me what it is about this that really makes...
30:53It's become a dream.
30:54It's become a dream.
30:55It's become a dream.
30:55It's crazy.
30:56Just, human connection is really important.
30:58Especially like, for queer people.
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 two guys.
31:17And it's just, it is so hot 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.
31:32And, no, I couldn't, I couldn't, I was just over there.
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 the first
31:47books.
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
31:51podcasts, like...
31:52And I couldn't read.
31:53Nobody else remembers this.
31:55And I 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, during which I discovered that
32:08I was writing some of these are...
32:11Rachel's a real writer and her books are funny and smart and genuine and the connections
32:18between the characters are real.
32:19I agree with you.
32:20Like, there's something and not...
32:22You 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...
32:42I feel like I said this Washington Post article and I was just like, oh my god.
32:46If somebody else options these, I think I'll feel crazy.
32:49And so I was like, Brendan, Brady, sitting there, who deserves a lot of credit for this.
33:02What we 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.
33:13I like our origin story.
33:15I like, I'm assuming it's a villain arc.
33:17I don't know.
33:19Well, so I would think...
33:21...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.
33:37We used to be roommates.
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.
33:46Like, I 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.
34:00But, 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 proven concept because I don't, I don't know if people are going to
34:09make, I'm going to 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, we
34:15were like, oh, we're not ready for this, this isn't ready yet, but we have, we optioned this series of
34:20gay 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 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.
34:37We had, we had another, we had an adventure with another company, and it was the, but the question that
34:45I was, you know, like, kind of nervous with Crave, too, was just like, you say you want this, but
34:50do 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.
35:01And Crave did, right, have been amazing the entire way through, but, so once it was, once it happened, and
35:08Crave was the place where I'd done other TV shows, that I did Larry Kenny with, and so I knew
35:11all these people, and, 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.
35:30So, I want to know about how you found your boys.
35:37Because I feel like that chemistry is, but then I'm going to ask Kate, so I want to, you know
35:42what, I'm looking at, you've talked enough.
35:45I do want to know what the casting process was like for both of you.
35:50Did you, you can,
35:51I'm too, too long.
35:52Too long, and it was drawn out, there was like, but, and, uh, it was very straightforward, besides...
36:00Well when you read the script, was that straightforward? Like, 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 the size that 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, is this working?
36:27Yeah!
36:28I always had like an adjustment period, where I'm like, how loud, what kind of thing?
36:32Um, yeah, I remember, I remember the original, uh, breakdown, it was like, 6'3, Russian, bisexual, hockey player.
36:43And I was like, I'm not 6'3.
36:47I don't speak Russian.
36:48Um, 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...
37:00In the Russian accent?
37:02Yeah.
37:03Because when I first saw this, I really did not believe you were not Russian.
37:08There we go, I 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.
37:20Isaac through the mouth!
37:23And, um, Jacob was like, I love it.
37:28Love's changing.
37:29A fun story about Connor's audition.
37:31I, uh, a friend of ours, a bunch of ours up here, Sarah Gatton, a wonderful actress,
37:35who 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.
37:46And she said to me, she was like, we have to cast the Russian one.
37:49I was like, that, that one's not Russian.
37:53And, uh, you fooled her.
37:55And the boobie gave me.
37:59Well, the, the 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 Ilya.
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.
38:26And, 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.
38:35And 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.
38:48It's all stupid fucking things to say.
38:51And, uh, I was like, play it like you're a bit more tired.
38:54And you don't want to play.
38:56I think it sounds like a chore.
38:5980 seconds.
39:00And you're like, we're gonna do this, or, uh, a bit more of that energy.
39:05And 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.
39:15Um, 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 you don't know what's coming, it's
39:35amazing.
39:36You might, actually, because you've got the books.
39:37I love that.
39:38Um.
39:39But what I love is when your little, like, little thumbnail up there is showed.
39:44Those girls are like, please come on.
39:46So, um, how did you become involved in this?
39:51Um.
39:53Thank you, Emily.
39:54Of course, this isn't working.
39:55Good job.
39:56No.
39:58I don't think it is.
40:00Um.
40:01That was not.
40:02Yeah.
40:03Uh, thank you, Emily.
40:04Um.
40:05Well, I've known Jacob for, we were counting earlier, 17 years now.
40:09Um.
40:09Um.
40:09And when he gave me the call for this, I was unaware of the Rachel Reed game universe.
40:16Yeah.
40:16Um.
40:17And, uh, I know that Scott Hunter now is a beloved character.
40:22Oh.
40:24Um.
40:26But there was something to the writing, and I know you only had just like a tiny little tease
40:31of it, but there's something in the writing of this, um, like alpha strong Captain America
40:39male, uh, that is just profoundly good.
40:44Uh, and 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.
40:59And, 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.
41:13And was that just a, 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.
41:21And I was also blonde, I had just, no, the thing is I had dyed my hair blonde for another
41:25movie.
41:26And I was like, can we just use this, Mike?
41:27I was kinda tired.
41:29Uh, and Jacob was 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?
41:44Like, on a, kinda, day-to-day basis.
41:48Oh, like an emotional one?
41:49Like, 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 first time.
42:07I, like, cause you laid out exactly everything that was important about the books and the characters,
42:12that you 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, just thank you.
42:46I know that Brendan is there and not here, but if he was here, would we talk about the sale
42:53to HBO?
42:55Yeah.
42:55Yeah, we would.
42:58Can you say it in French?
42:59Oh yeah, oui.
43:01Uh, ben, je vais vous dire premièrement, merci beaucoup d'être venu, tous les amis.
43:08Le président de Francis de Frey, évidemment, un doublage pour, si vous voulez, écouter comme ça.
43:14Puis, la dernière chose, c'est que oui, on est super excité d'être, d'être, acheté par le Trio.
43:21C'est un, honnêtement, c'est un rêve, nous, d'être sur des zones comme ça aux États-Unis.
43:28and 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, and of course our Australian friends.
43:46I knew it as soon as I read it, that it would sell worldwide and it would use the same
43:50code.
43:55And if you don't trust the master.
44:02No, the whole thing has been overwhelming, and I know there's a lot of fans here, and really we owe
44:08so 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.
44:25And I certainly never 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.
44:36And we, I don't, I have, you know, people have asked me, like, did the fans make this up?
44:41I don't know, is the answer, I don't know, but I know it did not hurt.
44:46That was amazing.
44:47And it was amazing for everybody to see online, but like, wow, there's a vocal and active group of people
44:53that want to see the show.
44:54And so that's, it's, that's crazy, and it's amazing, and it's very gratifying.
44:59Speaking to the fans, yes, I, I, what I want to wrap this up with one, one small question.
45:06So the sex scenes, um, yes.
45:12So they were really, really hot, like, really hot.
45:17And how was that, I don't want to ask you, how was that on set?
45:24Uh, to, to, kind of, you're gonna get asked this a lot later on.
45:29So I'm just prepping you just to practice.
45:32Um, maybe just speak, like, I don't want to say what you stand, where you stand, where you stand.
45:37No, okay.
45:39To be honest, like, I don't think Hudson and I are very squeamish or weird about any of that.
45:45So, I mean, it's one of those things where, you know, someone else is uncomfortable, or, you know, has a
45:50different way to think about things, or has certain boundaries that need to be respected, you 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?
46:02I, we kind of, from the jump, with Jacob and Cheyla, our intimacy coordinator, we're like, I was like, you
46:09can do whatever you want to me, however you want to me.
46:13And it was kind of vice versa in the summer.
46:15Yeah.
46:17If 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?
47:09You remember that.
47:10It was so much fun to be in my little ballerina slipper.
47:13I know.
47:14I loved his little pouch.
47:15It was like, I kept so many of them.
47:20Yeah.
47:21Yeah.
47:21But we did, we did have a wonderful intimacy coordinator, I mean, Chela Hunter, who really, I mean, she was
47:29really good.
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 emotions, so
47:38that we could allow for, much like a dance, for like the connect, you don't have to think about the
47:42next movement.
47:42You could just think about the connection, and do that, because that was always, you know, the language of this
47:48show, what the fans love, what I love too, is that 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.
47:57We'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.
48:08You know?
48:09It's not sexy either.
48:10It's not sexy without that.
48:12And it is so...
48:12Intimacy.
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 Imaginacion.
48:38Thank you to Emily for coming into doing this and being amazing at it.
48:46And thank you to everyone that's here at Prairie, Mexin, and this whole team.
48:50We really appreciate everything from Prairie 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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