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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
16:02he introduced you to e-drival
16:06a lot about me
16:07but here's how i'll sell the show to people
16:09he 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
16:31i 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
17:01you did not want to whitewash this character in this sport
17:04oh
17:05can 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
17:12there are not a lot of
17:15there are not a lot of people who are not white in the NHL
17:18and
17:19there are
17:20not 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
17:29i i think it it's it's a lot about Shane's personality
17:33um
17:34is that he
17:35is this kind of outsider
17:37and i think there's something very interesting
17:40that happens when you read a book and your character's name is Shane Hollander
17:43that your brain can whitewash him in a really easy way
17:46and uh 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 in the book
17:59like i wouldn't question that period
18:01but then i also wanted to and we talked about this
18:05because i wanted to address it
18:06like i wanted him to talk about it a little bit
18:08because there aren't
18:10besides and this show is not Nick Suzuki fan fiction
18:14uh Rachel Reid will tell you that
18:16though it because and it's not it 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
18:25aside there are 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
18:35and yeah it would be monstrous just to make him white
18:40well as you said
18:41a confession
18:43i'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
18:48even though i am of East Asian background
18:51Shane Hollander in my mind
18:53was not Asian
18:55even as an East Asian person
18:58so i really appreciate this effort
19:00and so to you Hudson
19:02what does it mean to you
19:03coming from your background
19:05to be able to play this character in this story
19:07that so many people are going to see
19:09it means a lot
19:12my mom told me at one point
19:14that when i wanted i told her i was going to be an actor
19:16she said it scared her because
19:20she thought her being an Asian lady
19:23that it would kind of limit my possibilities for roles i could get
19:27because she hadn't really seen
19:29people like her
19:32on the screen
19:33and then when i booked a role
19:35due to the fact
19:36there was a prerequisite that i am half Asian
19:41i think it just kind of
19:44made her see that things are changing
19:46and there are new possibilities
19:47so that really felt amazing
19:50yeah
19:55Connor
19:57the majority of the fans of this book
20:01are women and queer
20:04and this show serves that audience
20:07prioritizes that audience
20:10as a part of this team
20:14how do you feel to be part of a show that
20:18prioritizes an audience that is often
20:20neglected underserved
20:23how do i how do i feel
20:24you personally yeah
20:25yeah i mean
20:27i i i've said this before
20:29i feel like
20:31getting into
20:33niche
20:34specific human experiences
20:36whether it's
20:38Shane being
20:39you know half Asian
20:40or Ilia being a foreigner
20:42both of them being queer
20:44i think getting into these really
20:47niche specific human experiences
20:49actually really give you
20:51a chance to open up
20:53and let people connect
20:54you know if it was super generic
20:55then it's kind of like
20:56it's so vanilla that
20:58there's kind of nothing to stick
20:59you know i was really surprised
21:01when i found out that
21:02most of the demographics of people
21:04who love rachel's books
21:07are predominantly women
21:09because i think on the surface
21:10you would think you know
21:11mm romance and you would think men
21:14i think i think those two
21:17communities just really relate
21:19to the feeling of being
21:21i'm in a box
21:22that box says i can be a b or c
21:25and i feel
21:26capable of more than that
21:28and i think these two characters
21:29feel that way
21:30you know living in the gray on some level
21:32feeling like what's expected of me
21:34what the world wants for me
21:35and what i am or not
21:36always cohesive so
21:39and i definitely relate to that too
21:40you know so it feels very good to
21:42to be in that conversation
21:43it's also just way more interesting
21:45to i think appeal to that
21:48than you know
21:49middle middle middle america or something
21:53you know
21:54this ain't the taylor sheridan universe
21:56thank you
21:59i guess that i do have a show called land man
22:04it's gonna be land man oil man truck man
22:07so filthy
22:09you mentioned mm fiction right
22:11huge on tick tock
22:13a book talk
22:14sorry
22:14bl boys love is exploding in popularity
22:19in the eastern markets
22:20in broadcast but we haven't seen
22:25shows
22:26the books yes but the shows in the western market
22:29really take off you are leading a movement
22:32you are
22:33i agree
22:34no i think
22:36i think that what we've seen is a lot of it skewing
22:39ya in the west right
22:40and i think i've said this a bunch of times
22:42like i would love to be a gay 14 year old or 15 year old now
22:47to have grown up with heart stopper and young royals
22:50and all these like they're wonderful
22:52they're also for young people
22:54so they're sexually neutered
22:55and i think that this is that for grown-ups
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
23:05it's also fun to watch them bang
23:08so
23:11we do that
23:12bang
23:13bang
23:14bang
23:14okay
23:15i think that that's the part that besides
23:23happy endings
23:24that's what gay people really don't get
23:26i didn't mean it that way
23:29i get it i hear it
23:31but like yeah we don't get happy endings
23:32and we don't get to see ourselves have satisfying sex
23:35we get like kind of like
23:38dirty secret trysts and then we get
23:40it's like you know that's
23:42that was the joy of this show to me
23:44and of rachel's books and getting to explore this world
23:47was just that
23:47this is just a complete love story about two people who
23:53yeah who are obsessed with each other
23:55and can't stop fucking and then realize they're in love
23:58fucking is great
23:59yeah i agreed amen
24:01um all right
24:02we have three minutes left so we're gonna do a lightning round
24:05ready?
24:05just one pop song
24:08okay ready?
24:09who breaks character first?
24:11what was the question?
24:12who breaks character first?
24:13Hudson
24:14i'm always in character
24:15you don't get to say that
24:17who is most like their character?
24:21Sophie?
24:22Sophie?
24:23Sophie?
24:24yes, yeah
24:27not François
24:32okay so
24:34lightning round
24:35lightning
24:36shane and ilia's couple name is holonov
24:38no it's shalia
24:39it's a holonov
24:41oh
24:42shalia
24:45or holonov
24:47i won
24:49i won
24:51shalia is no
24:53okay
24:54shalia sounds like a thing you have
24:57guys i think i have shalia
24:59shalia
24:59um
25:00so
25:00how do we combine connor story and hudson williams?
25:04who?
25:04what are we?
25:05no
25:06uh
25:08hudner
25:10hudcon
25:11hudcon
25:11that's the front of both of them
25:13that doesn't make any sense
25:15shh
25:15well y'all decide
25:16i'm not gonna shit myself
25:18hudcon
25:19hudcon
25:19hudcon
25:20hudcon
25:21hudcon
25:21hudcon
25:28hudcon
25:30hudcon
25:32hudcon
25:32we didn't agree to that
25:34okay
25:35we're at hudcon 5
25:38what is shane and ilia's theme song?
25:42um
25:43i really want
25:44no
25:45i'm not gonna say that
25:47i want
25:47i really want
25:49um
25:49ilia at some point to sing
25:51um
25:52that tattoo song
25:53remember
25:53all of what she said
25:55all of what she said
25:55all of what she said
25:56all of what she said
25:58do i remember
25:59that's a russian
25:59do i remember
26:00that's like a lesbian russian group
26:01they're super sick
26:02tattoo t-a-t-u
26:03t-a-t-u
26:04yep
26:04i can't tell if he's flunking with me
26:06i think i think we'll do that
26:08just collectively for both of us
26:09you get a say
26:09yeah it's up literally
26:10it's my say
26:11it's up to me
26:13they don't get a say
26:14right
26:15well say
26:16i think when you have seen the show
26:18you'll see there are some featured songs
26:20and i would guess that it is between
26:22my moon my man by feist
26:25and i'll believe in anything
26:27by wolf parade
26:29okay that's cute
26:29i'll take this one
26:30um i'm thinking the rocky theme song maybe
26:33i'm gonna fly 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
26:41which 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
26:54any of you
26:55or lose the hardest
26:56however you want to answer
26:57hudson hudson used to do mma right
27:00yeah so hudson used to do mma so he would win
27:03yeah i would cry
27:05yeah francois would
27:07would run
27:08also cry
27:09yeah
27:09and then francois and i would cry together
27:11and have a competition over that
27:14you can cry harder
27:15okay 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
27:24oh yeah
27:25how far along are you on the more
27:27you've shot every single one
27:30not as far as
27:31i'll tell you what i'm not
27:32i'm not as far as
27:33i'm not as far as justin would like me to be
27:35so uh
27:36but
27:37listen
27:39if
27:40if
27:41literally justin wants more seasons
27:43that's up to him
27:44yeah yeah fuck yeah let's do it
27:46we
27:46yes i do have a plan
27:47i have a plan
27:47i have a plan
27:49okay
27:49help us make that happen
27:51remember
27:52heated rivalry
27:53premieres on crave
27:55on friday
27:56tell everyone
27:57i know you've seen it
27:58but watch it again
27:59on social media
28:00and all of that
28:01right
28:01there's two episodes on friday
28:03and then episode
28:03as of next friday
28:04tell everyone
28:05who will like i did with my husband
28:09tell lady's husband
28:11remind him where she is
28:13thank you
28:15thank you
28:16all of you
28:16thank you
28:16congratulations
28:20thank you
28:22remember to tell everyone
28:23on crave
28:24heated rivalry
28:25friday
28:26thank you
28:26goodnight
28:31and
28:35say it everybody
28:36what a story
28:55oh
28:59and rachel
29:16well
29:17yeah rachel
29:18i want to start with you
29:28so
29:29how did this start
29:31with you
29:33the books or the show
29:34the books
29:36it started with me at my dining room table
29:38just getting struck with um
29:40i don't know just these two characters
29:41just appeared in my head
29:42and i just immediately
29:43sat down and wrote what became the prologue of the book
29:46in one sitting
29:48so
29:49and then it just went from there
29:51and are you a hockey fan
29:53yes
29:54okay it starts there
29:55i was very very young
29:58yeah
29:59and um
30:01the relationship between the two guys
30:03was that just
30:04something that popped into your head
30:07yeah i just thought it would be funny
30:14okay so
30:14that's when i as a comedy writer
30:18read it and was like
30:19oh fuck this is a sitcom
30:22it's a romp
30:24but i really
30:25so i was sitting over there
30:26and
30:28that group of girls
30:30i really do want to know though
30:33what is it
30:34because
30:34watching this
30:36you guys
30:37it's
30:38it's
30:38better than 50 shades of grey for you guys
30:40this is
30:41this is huge
30:42and i actually
30:44i'm not gonna ask any questions of the audience
30:46but i do need to know
30:47will one person here
30:48tell me
30:48what it is about this
30:51that really makes
30:55just human connection is really important
30:57especially like for queer people
30:59yeah
31:00that connection is so important
31:09um
31:10hot
31:11yeah
31:13what i'm interested in though too
31:15is because it's hot
31:16and it's
31:16two guys
31:17and
31:18it's just
31:19it is so hot
31:21for you guys
31:22you were embarrassed
31:23you were like
31:24oh
31:25i was
31:27slapping myself
31:27because i have to
31:28shove myself up
31:33no i couldn't
31:34i couldn't
31:35okay but i want to ask you
31:37um
31:37so when did this come into your life?
31:41yeah
31:42so during the pandemic
31:44i started listening to audible
31:45and this was one of the first books
31:47i mean that's true
31:48i'm a big reader
31:49and i never listened to audible
31:50and a friend would be like
31:51you listen to podcasts
31:52and i couldn't read
31:53nobody else remembers this
31:55i could not finish a book
31:56i was like
31:56why is my attention span so short
31:58so i started listening
31:59and the first thing i did was
32:00listen to these books
32:01and i loved them
32:02and then i did a
32:04pretty big deep dive into the genre
32:06in which i discovered that
32:08i was writing some of these are
32:11rachel's a real writer
32:12and the books are funny
32:14and smart
32:15and genuine
32:16and the connections between the characters are real
32:19i agree with you
32:20like there's something
32:20and not
32:22you know
32:23romance is a largely
32:25uncritically
32:27reviewed genre
32:28and so to learn
32:29what's good at it
32:29you just have to kind of
32:30listen or read
32:31you have to participate in it
32:32and i listen to a lot
32:34and i can never shake the books
32:36i love them
32:37and then
32:38as i kind of
32:39saw them get a bit more
32:40into the mainstream
32:41it was really
32:42i said
32:42i feel like i said too many times
32:43this washington post article
32:45and i was just like
32:45oh my god
32:46if somebody else options these
32:48i think i'll feel crazy
32:49and so i was like
32:50brendan
32:52brady
32:52who's sitting there
32:53who 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
33:07and then we turned into a premium smut company
33:13i like our origin story
33:14i like
33:16i'm assuming
33:16it's a villain arc
33:17i'm really
33:19well
33:19so i would think
33:21and
33:21and gay sex
33:22would be like
33:23snakes on a plane
33:24to sell
33:25like people would want this
33:27wasn't that easy
33:28for you guys
33:29to get this made
33:30legendary mints
33:34we could give it
33:35we could give it
33:36we were not
33:36i would give it
33:38we used to be roommates
33:39um
33:41yes
33:41no i
33:42you know what
33:43i had no idea
33:44we had no idea
33:44like 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 watching post article
33:52i was not sure
33:52it was adaptable
33:53there's
33:55you've noticed
33:55not a lot of sex
33:57and
33:58but i did
34:00but like i did
34:01but what happened was
34:03we didn't
34:04pitch it
34:04i knew i was like
34:04i'm gonna write the first one in that way
34:06i'm gonna use this as a group of concept
34:07because i don't
34:08i don't know if people are gonna
34:09i'm gonna get execs to read this book
34:11and as soon as we started talking about it though
34:14bren and i were talking
34:14we would tell people
34:15we were like
34:15oh we're not ready for this
34:17this isn't ready yet
34:18but we have
34:18we optioned this series
34:20gay hockey romances
34:22the level of like
34:23sorry what did you say
34:24the level of like leaning in
34:26was pretty extraordinary
34:27and then
34:28it didn't
34:29it did not take long
34:30it was way easier
34:31than i thought it would be
34:33that being said
34:34it was quite difficult
34:36initially
34:37we had
34:38we had another
34:39we had an adventure
34:39with another company
34:40and
34:42i
34:43it was the
34:44but the question
34:45i was you know
34:46i was kind of nervous
34:47with craved too
34:48was just like
34:48you say you want this
34:50but do you
34:51like
34:51do you want this in theory
34:53and then when you see the scripts
34:55you start seeing the footage
34:56you're like
34:56oh
34:58that's more than we thought
34:59we were getting
35:00for this
35:01and craved there
35:02right
35:02have been amazing
35:03the entire way through
35:04but
35:05so once it was
35:06once it happened
35:07and craved was the place
35:08where i'd done other TV shows
35:09that i did larryk ending with
35:10and so i knew all these people
35:12and
35:13but it was a departure
35:14and it was a big swing for them
35:15because they don't
35:17yeah
35:17because they also just don't
35:19they're only recently starting to do
35:20one-hour dramas at all
35:22and so this was a big swing
35:24in a lot of ways
35:25i think it worked
35:27yeah
35:28um
35:29so
35:30i want to know
35:31about
35:32how
35:33you found
35:35your boys
35:36um
35:37because
35:38i feel like that
35:39chemistry
35:39then i'm going to ask Kate
35:41so i want to
35:42you know what
35:42i'm looking at you've talked enough
35:44um
35:45i do want to know
35:46what the casting process was like
35:48for both of you
35:49um
35:50did you
35:50maybe
35:51too long
35:52too long
35:54and it was drawn out
35:55there was like
35:56but
35:57and uh
35:58it was very
35:59straightforward
36:00besides
36:00well when you read the script
36:01was that straightforward
36:03like just
36:04a Wednesday
36:06yeah
36:06i think immediately
36:07as soon as i read the script
36:08i kind of just
36:09fell in love with it
36:10or at least it decides
36:11it got sent immediately
36:12it sort of made sense to me
36:14in a way
36:15um
36:16and
36:16i just wanted to do it
36:18and get my hands dirty
36:19and just
36:20jump all the way in there
36:22and never stop
36:24and
36:24i think for me
36:26is this working
36:27yeah
36:27i always had like an adjustment period
36:29where i'm like
36:30how loud
36:30what could it be
36:32um
36:32yeah i remember
36:34i remember
36:35the original
36:36uh
36:37breakdown
36:37it was like
36:386-3
36:40russian
36:40bisexual
36:41hockey players
36:43and i was like
36:44i was like
36:44i'm not 6-3
36:47i don't speak russian
36:48um
36:51and uh
36:51yeah so i was like
36:53i'm never gonna get this
36:54this isn't gonna happen
36:55i did it
36:56heard back a month later
36:57and
36:57did like three
36:58three reads
36:59and
37:00here we are eight months later
37:02yeah
37:03yeah
37:03because when i first saw this
37:05i really
37:06did not believe you were not russian
37:08there we go
37:09i love that
37:10the first iteration of it
37:12that i did was a little bit more like
37:15this is how we work
37:18that's not true
37:19i think through the mouth
37:23and jake was like
37:25i love it
37:28let's change it
37:29a fun story about
37:30connor's audition
37:31i uh
37:32a friend of ours
37:33a bunch of ours up here
37:34sarah gatton
37:35a wonderful actress
37:35who did the voiceover for the
37:37uh
37:37rookie of the year award
37:39uh
37:40she
37:40watched a bunch of the tapes
37:42and she
37:43loved connor so much
37:44this was before hudson had even auditioned
37:46and she said to me
37:47she was like
37:47we have to cast the russian one
37:49i was like
37:50that one's not russian
37:53you fooled her
37:55and the blue beginning
37:59well
37:59the chemistry between them
38:02is palpable
38:03and like so much though
38:04that you saw before
38:05i can't not think of you guys
38:07as shane and ilia
38:08like i
38:09i refuse to know your names properly
38:13that was a choice
38:14um
38:15but how did you
38:16cause this feels like a tall order
38:17to be able to find
38:18these guys
38:19so how
38:19what was that search like for you?
38:23when they did the chemistry reading
38:24it was very obvious
38:25and
38:26full disclosure
38:27the chemistry was stacked for them
38:29and it worked
38:30um
38:31and then the network was concerned
38:33that they were too young
38:35and
38:35we had another
38:37i think they did another
38:38like take together
38:39where i was like
38:41i was like
38:41i don't even know what this note
38:43imagine getting this note
38:43i was like
38:44i don't know what this note means
38:45but play it like you're 30
38:48all the stupid fucking things to say
38:50and uh
38:51i was like
38:52play it like you're a bit more tired
38:54and you don't want
38:55like
38:55i think it sounds like a chore
38:58eating sex
39:00and like
39:00do this
39:02or
39:03uh
39:04a bit more that energy
39:05and it worked
39:05and it worked
39:06but yeah
39:07your chemistry read was amazing
39:08from the
39:09from the
39:09like and
39:10yeah it was just very
39:12it became very clear
39:13at least to me very quickly
39:15um
39:16um
39:16Francois
39:18yeah
39:18Francois who i believe
39:20is one of the
39:21greatest actors we have
39:22in this country
39:22um
39:29what i love so much is that
39:31so i've seen all of this
39:32and
39:34you don't know what's coming
39:35it's amazing
39:35you might actually
39:36because you've got the books
39:37i love that
39:38um
39:39but what i love is when your little
39:41like little thumbnail up there is showed
39:43those girls are like
39:44please
39:45come on
39:46so um
39:47how did you become involved in this
39:50um
39:52thank you emily
39:54of course
39:54this isn't working
39:55there's no
39:56no
39:57i don't think it is
40:00um
40:00that was not
40:02uh
40:03thank you emily
40:04um
40:04well i've known jacob for
40:06we were counting earlier
40:0717 years now
40:08um
40:09and when he gave me the call for this
40:12i was unaware of the
40:13rachel reed
40:14gay universe
40:16yeah
40:16um
40:17and uh
40:18i know that scott hunter now
40:20is a beloved
40:21character
40:22um
40:25but there was something to
40:27the writing
40:28and i know you only have
40:30just like a tiny little tease
40:31of it
40:32but
40:32there's something in the writing
40:34of this
40:35um
40:36like
40:37alpha strong
40:38captain america
40:39male
40:40uh
40:41that is just profoundly
40:42good
40:44uh
40:45and
40:45there's something that really moved me
40:47and there's
40:48um
40:49the words that jacob found
40:51to express that
40:52range so true
40:54uh
40:55that i was
40:56i just felt like i had to
40:58save him
40:59at one point
40:59and um
41:00i'm just so glad to be in such good company
41:03i'm so proud of you
41:06i did hear from a source that you wanted to dye your hair bleach blonde for this and was that
41:13just a character choice or
41:15but the character is blonde with blue eyes in the books and i knew i was gonna get shit
41:20from the fandom
41:21um
41:22and i was also blonde
41:23i had just know the things i had dyed my hair blonde for another movie and i was like can
41:27we just use this mic i was kinda tired
41:30uh
41:30and jake was like no
41:33so i'm a little auburn
41:34i don't know
41:36um
41:37Rachel
41:38when
41:38so having
41:40something of yours adapted
41:41um
41:42what was that process like
41:43on a
41:45kinda
41:46day to day basis
41:48like an emotional way
41:49like seeing somebody interpret what you've done
41:53yeah
41:54yeah
41:55jacob this is not
41:56i don't do this everyday
41:58ever
42:00it was an absolute dream from the very first moment that i i spoke to jacob the first time
42:06like cause you laid out exactly everything that was important about the books and the characters
42:12you just got them right away so
42:14i never worried again after that cause you know not everybody gets um
42:19a dream adaptation and gets to be this included and gets to be this respected
42:26having their source material and respected this much and
42:30i don't know
42:30just thank you
42:39you saw
42:40you saw
42:41you saw
42:42what it's like
42:43it's crazy
42:46um
42:47i know that brendan is there and not here but if he was here would we talk about the sale
42:53to hbo
42:54yeah
42:55yeah
42:55yeah
42:56could you say it in french
42:59oh
43:00yeah
43:00um
43:01Well, I'd like to say first, thank you very much for being here, all my friends.
43:07I'd like to thank Francis O'Frey, of course, if you want to listen like that.
43:14And the last thing is that yes, we are super excited to be bought by our HBO.
43:21It's a dream for us to be on the zones like that in the United States.
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.
43:51For the first name.
43:55And 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, Brennan and I, sold this show, we were like, oh, there's fans.
44:17They're gonna show up.
44:19And 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.
44:31Rachel tried to warn me.
44:34But 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, did the fans make this up?
44:41I don't know.
44:41Is it the answer?
44:42I don't know.
44:43But 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.
44:59Speaking to the fans, yes, I, I, I, what they want to wrap this up with one, 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?
45:24Uh, to, to kind of, you're going to get asked this a lot later on.
45:29So I'm just prepping you.
45:31This is practice.
45:32Um, maybe this is like, I don't want to say a word, you stand where you stand.
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.
45:49Or, you know, has a different way of dealing with things.
45:52Or 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?
46:02Is this okay?
46:03We kind of, from the jump, with Jacob and Chayla, 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 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.
46:28Yeah.
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 was 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.
47:14He loved his little pouch.
47:15It was like, uh, I kept so many of them.
47:20Yeah.
47:21Yeah.
47:21Yeah.
47:22But we did, we did have a wonderful intimacy coordinator, I mean, Chela Hunter, who really,
47:28I mean, she was really 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
47:37and emotions, so that we could allow for, much like a dance, for like, you don't have to think
47:41about the next movement, you 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,
47:50is that, like, this is a sexual relationship, and 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.
48:14Intimacy.
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 MedNacion.
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, Mexim, 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.
48:57Mar.
48:58Have a good night.
48:58Thank you very much.
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