- 6 minutes ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
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
22:34i think that what we've seen is a lot of it skewing YA in the west right
22:40and i think i've said this a bunch of times
22:42i would love to be a gay 14 year old or 15 year old now like to have grown up
22:48with heart stopper
22:49and young royals and all these like they're wonderful
22:52they're also for young people so they're sexually neutered
22:55and i think that this is that for grown-ups
22:59um because 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 bang bang
23:14okay
23:15yeah so that's what this show but i think that like i think that that's the that's the part that
23:21besides uh 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
23:30uh but like yeah we don't get happy endings and we don't get to see ourselves have satisfying sex
23:35we get like kind of like dirty secret trysts and then we get it's like you know that's that was
23:42the joy of this show to me and of rachel's books and getting to explore this world was just that
23:47these is this is a just a complete love story about
23:50that two people who uh yeah who are obsessed with each other and can't stop fucking and then realize they're
23:57in love
23:58fucking is great
23:59agreed amen
24:00um alright we have three minutes left so we're gonna do a lightning round ready
24:05just one pop song
24:08okay ready
24:08who breaks character first
24:10who breaks character first
24:13Hudson Hudson
24:14you don't get to say that
24:17who is most like their character
24:20Sophie
24:21Sophie
24:22Sophie
24:23Sophie
24:23Sophie
24:24yes
24:24yeah
24:26not François
24:31okay so
24:34lightning round
24:35yes lightning
24:36Shane and Ilya's couple name is Holonov
24:38no it's Shalia
24:39it's a Holonov
24:40oh
24:42Shalia
24:44Shalia
24:45or Holonov
24:46whoo
24:48I won
24:49I won
24:51Shalia is no
24:52Shalia
24:53no
24:53okay
24:54Shalia sounds like a thing you have
24:57guys I think I have Shalia
24:59um
25:00um
25:00so
25:00how do we combine Connor's story and Hudson Williams
25:04who
25:04what are we
25:05no
25:05uh
25:08hudner
25:09hud
25:09hud
25:10hud
25:11hud
25:11hud
25:11hud
25:17hud
25:20hud
25:30hud
25:31Hutcon. We didn't agree to that.
25:34We're at Hutcon 5.
25:38What is Shane and Ilya's theme song?
25:42Um, I really want...
25:45No, I'm not gonna say that.
25:47I really want Ilya at some point to sing that tattoo song, remember?
25:58It's a Russian... It's like a lesbian Russian group.
26:01You're super sick.
26:02Tattoo T-A-T-U.
26:03T-A-T-U, yep.
26:04I can't tell if he's flunking with me.
26:06I think we'll do that.
26:07Just collectively for both of us.
26:09You get a say?
26:10Yeah, literally, it's my say.
26:11It's up to me.
26:13They don't get a say.
26:15Right. Well, say.
26:16I think when you have seen the show, you'll see there are some featured songs,
26:20and I would guess that it is between My Moon, My Man by Feist,
26:25and I'll Believe in Anything by Wolf Parade.
26:29Okay, that's cute. I'll take this one.
26:30I'm thinking the Rocky theme song, maybe.
26:33It's gonna apply now.
26:34You know, I think it could score everything.
26:37I would do Anything by Wolf, but I won't do that.
26:39Me and Love?
26:40I don't understand.
26:44Which castmate would be the worst in an actual hockey fight?
26:49Francois or No.
26:52Worst meaning do the most damage or lose the hardest.
26:56However you want to answer that.
26:57Hudson used to do MMA, right?
27:01Yeah.
27:01So Hudson used to do MMA, so he would win.
27:03Yeah.
27:04I would cry.
27:05Yeah.
27:06Francois would run.
27:08Also cry?
27:09Yeah.
27:09And then Francois and I would cry together.
27:12And have a competition over that.
27:14You can cry harder.
27:16Okay, before I let you go, final question.
27:18You heard what Justin Stockman said earlier.
27:19There are more books.
27:21Yeah.
27:22So have you been thinking about more?
27:25How far along are you on the more?
27:28You've shot every single one.
27:30Not as far as...
27:30I'll tell you what I'm not.
27:32I'm not as far as Justin would like me to be.
27:35So, but listen.
27:40If literally Justin wants more seasons, that's up to him.
27:44Yeah.
27:44Yeah.
27:45Fuck yeah.
27:45Let's do it.
27:46Yes, I do have a plan.
27:47I have a plan.
27:49Okay.
27:50Help us make that happen.
27:52Remember, Heated Rivalry premieres on Crave on Friday.
27:56Tell everyone.
27:57I know you've seen it, but watch it again on social media.
28:00All of that, right?
28:01There's two episodes on Friday and then episodes as of next Friday.
28:05Tell everyone who will...
28:06Like I did with my husband.
28:09Tell everyone.
28:10Tell Lainey's husband.
28:11Remind him where she is.
28:15Thank you, all of you.
28:17Congratulations.
28:22Remember, tell everyone.
28:23On Crave, Heated Rivalry, Friday.
28:27Bye.
28:28Bye.
28:29Bye.
28:34Say it, everybody.
28:37What a story!
28:46Number two.
28:48Brandon Berkey.
28:52Woo!
28:56Woo!
28:58Oh, and Rachel.
29:15Um, well, yeah, Rachel, I want to start with you.
29:29So, how did this start with you?
29:33The books or the show?
29:36It started with me at my dining room table, just getting struck with, I don't know, just
29:41these two characters.
29:42It appeared in my head and I just immediately sat down and wrote what became the prologue
29:46of the book.
29:48And then it just went from there.
29:50And are you a hockey fan?
29:53Yes.
29:54Okay, it starts there.
29:56I was very, very young, yeah.
30:00And the relationship between the two guys, was that just something that popped into your
30:06head?
30:07Yeah, I just thought it would be funny.
30:14Okay, so.
30:15That's when I, as a comedy writer, read it and was like, oh fuck, this is a sitcom.
30:22It's a romp.
30:23But I really, so I was sitting over there and that group of girls, I really do want
30:32to know though, what is it, because watching this, you guys, it's better than Fifty Shades
30:39of Grey for you guys.
30:40This is, this is huge and I actually, I'm not going to ask any questions of the audience,
30:46but I do need to know, will one person here tell me what it is about this that really makes
30:53this?
30:53The chemistry.
30:54The chemistry.
30:55That's crazy.
30:56Just human connection is really important, especially like for queer people.
30:59Yeah.
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, you were like...
31:33No, I couldn't, 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
31:46first books, I mean that's true, I'm a big reader and I never listened to Audible, and
31:50a friend would be like, you listen to podcasts, like, and I couldn't read.
31:53Nobody else remembers this, and 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
32:02them, and then I did a pretty big deep dive into the genre, in which I discovered that
32:08I was writing some of these are, Rachel's a real writer, and her books are funny and smart
32:15and genuine, and the connections between the characters are real, I agree with you, like,
32:20there's something, and not, you know, romance is a largely uncritically reviewed genre, and
32:28so to learn what's good at it, you just have to kind of listen or read, you have to participate
32:32in it, and I listen to a lot, and I can never shake the books.
32:36I love them, and then, as I kind of saw them get a bit more into the mainstream, it was
32:41really, except, I feel like I said this too many times, this Washington Post article, and
32:45I was just like, oh my god, if 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'd like to say now is we were trying to be like a low-budget comedy company, and
33:07then we turned into a premium smut company.
33:13I like our origin story, I like, I'm assuming it's a villain arc, I'm really excited.
33:19Well, so I would think, 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 myths.
33:37We used to be roommates.
33:40Um, yes, no, I, you know what, I had no idea, we had no idea.
33:45Like, here's the thing that happened, I knew these books were popular, I loved them, I 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.
33:57And, but I did it.
34:00But like, I did, but what happened was, we didn't pitch it, I knew I was like, I'm gonna write
34:05the first one in that way,
34:06I'm gonna use this as a proven concept, because I don't, I don't know if people are gonna make, I'm
34:10gonna 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,
34:16Oh, we're not ready for this, this isn't ready yet, but we have, we optioned this series of gay hockey
34:21romances.
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 another, we had an adventure with another company, and it was the, but the question that I was,
34:45you know,
34:46I was kind of nervous with with Crave too, was just like, you say you want this, but do you?
34:51Like, do you want this in theory? And then when you see the scripts, you start seeing the footage, you're
34:56like,
34:57Oh, that's more than we thought we were getting for this.
35:01And Crave did, right, have been amazing the entire way through.
35:05But, so once it was, once it happened, and Crave was the place where I'd done other TV shows,
35:09that I did Larry Kenny with, and so I knew all these people, and, but it was a departure,
35:14and it was a big swing for them, because they don't, yeah, because they also just don't,
35:19they're only recently starting to do one-on-one dramas at all.
35:22And, so this was a big swing in a lot of ways.
35:26I think it worked.
35:28Yeah.
35:29Um, so, I want to know about how you found your boys.
35:36Um, because I feel like that chemistry is,
35:40then I'm going to ask Kate, so I want to, you know what, I'm looking at, you've talked enough.
35:44Um, I do want to know what the casting process was like for both of you.
35:50Um, did you, maybe,
35:51It's been too long.
35:53It's been too long, and it was drawn out, there was like,
35:56but, and, uh, it was very straightforward, besides.
36:00When you read the script, was that straightforward?
36:03Like, just, a Wednesday?
36:06Yeah, I think immediately, as soon as I read the script, I kind of just fell in love with it,
36:10or at least the sides 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!
36:27I always had like an adjustment period, where I'm like, how loud could I be?
36:32Um, yeah, I remember, I remember the original, uh, breakdown, it was like,
36:396'3, Russian, bisexual, hockey player.
36:43And I was like, I'm not 6'3, I 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...
37:00Yeah, yeah, eight months later.
37:01In the Russian accent?
37:02Yeah, yeah.
37:03Because when I first saw this, I really did not believe you were not Russian.
37:08There we go, I love that.
37:10The 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,
37:42and she loved Connor so much.
37:44This was before Hudson had even auditioned.
37:46And she said to me, she was like,
37:47We have to cast the Russian one.
37:49I was like, that, that one's not Russian.
37:53So you fooled her.
37:55And the boobie gave me.
37:59Well, the, the chemistry between them is palpable.
38:04And like, so much so that you saw before,
38:06I 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.
38:36And, we had another, I think they did another, like, tape together.
38:40Where I was like, I was like, I don't even know what this note,
38:43Imagine 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...
39:10Like, and, yeah, it was just very, it became very clear, at 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.
39:29Um...
39:29What I love so much is that, so I've seen all of this and...
39:34You don't know what's coming, it's amazing.
39:36You might, actually, because you've got the books.
39:38But, um, but what I loved was when your little, like, little thumbnail up there showed,
39:43those girls were like, please come here.
39:46So, um, how did you become involved in this?
39:52Um...
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.
40:04Well, I've known Jacob for, we were counting earlier, 17 years now.
40:09Um, and when he gave me the call for this, I was unaware of the Rachel Reed... gay universe.
40:16Um, and, uh, I know that Scott Hunter now is a beloved character.
40:22Um, but there was something to the writing, and I know you've only had, like, a tiny little tease of
40:32it, but...
40:32There's something in the writing of this, um, like, alpha-strong Captain America male, 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, I just
40:57felt like I had to save him at one point.
40:59And, um, I'm just so glad to be in such good company. I'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 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, you know, the thing is, I had dyed my hair blonde for
41:25another movie.
41:26And I was like, can we just use this, man? I was kinda tired.
41:29Uh, and Jacob's like, no.
41:32So I'm a little auburn.
41:36Um, Rachel, when, just, so having something of yours adapted, um, what was that process like?
41:44Um, what was that process like?
41:45On a, kinda, day-to-day basis?
41:48Oh, like an emotional way?
41:49Oh, like seeing somebody interpret what you've done.
41:53Yeah.
41:54Jacob, this is not, I don't do this every day.
41:58Ever.
42:00It, it was an absolute dream from the very first moment that I, I spoke to Jacob the first time.
42:06Um, I, like, cause you laid out exactly everything that was important about the books and the characters.
42:12You just got them right away.
42:14So, I never worried again after that.
42:17Cause, you know, not everybody gets, um, a dream adaptation.
42:20And gets to be this included.
42:24And gets to be this respected.
42:26Having their source material respected this much.
42:29And, I don't know.
42:31Just thank you.
42:39You, you saw it.
42:41You saw it.
42:42You, you saw it.
42:42What it's like.
42:44Crazy.
42:46Um, I know that Brendan is there and not here, but if he was here, would we talk about the
42:53sale to HBO?
42:54Yeah.
42:55Yeah.
42:58Can you say it in French?
42:59Oh, yeah, we, uh, my name is like the salesperson.
43:02First of all, thank you very much for being here, all the friends of the show.
43:08The show of Francis of Prey, of course, is a song for, if you want, to listen like that.
43:14And the last thing is that, yes, we are super excited to be bought by a trio.
43:21It's a dream for us to be on the zones like that.
43:26In the USA, it's something super special, of course.
43:29And I'm just saying in French, they were super happy that HBO bought the show.
43:35For all the reasons I think it's just as exciting for us, it's fucking crazy.
43:40And we're so excited that it's happening at the same time as in Canada, 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.
43:51It was the first time.
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.
44:19And then we were like, I don't know, there's no obvious roadmap.
44:24And I certainly never felt anything like what it, what it's like to be supported by you guys.
44:31Rachel tried to warn me and, but it's, yeah, it's just been absolutely crazy.
44:37And we, I don't, I have, you know, people have asked me, they're like, did the fans make this up?
44:41I don't know, is the answer, I don't know, but I, I know it did not hurt.
44:46That was amazing.
44:47And it was amazing for everybody to see online, 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.
44:56And it's amazing.
44:57And it's very gratifying.
44:59Speaking to the fans, I, I, what I want to wrap this up is 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 just to practice.
45:32Um, maybe just speak 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.
45:45So, I mean, it's one of those things where, you know, someone else is uncomfortable or, you know, has a
45:50different way to deal with things,
45:52or 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?
45:59Like, you know, you're always kind of being like, is this okay?
46:02Is this okay?
46:03Is this okay?
46:03We kind of, from the jump, with Jacob and Chaylor, our intimacy coordinator, were like,
46:08I was like, you can do whatever you want to me, however you want to me.
46:13And it was kind of vice versa.
46:15And so, yeah.
46:17If that makes any sense.
46:19I was just like, I'll do anything.
46:21Let's go.
46:22Let's get in there.
46:31And again...
46:34What I'll say is, cause, that's our 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
46:46that they have and their comfort level with each other was amazing and also a
46:52great reminder that some of the on-set nudity stuff is actually about the crew
46:56so when you see things like Hudson you have to wear a robe you can't just walk
47:00around like that because it's hot in the hotel room or whatever. It was a living experience for all of
47:07us in some ways, right?
47:09You remember that? It was just so much fun to be in my little ballerina slipper. I know. He loved
47:15his little pouch.
47:16I kept so many of them.
47:21We did have a wonderful intimacy coordinator named Che Lava Hunter who really, I mean, she was really good.
47:31And we took this part very seriously. We tried to choreograph these sex scenes like dances so that we were
47:37just going through beats and motions
47:38so that we could allow for, much like a dance, you don't have to think about the next movement.
47:43You can just think about the connection and do that because that was always, you know, the language of this
47:48show,
47:48what the fans love, what I love too, is that this is a sexual relationship and so we can't shy
47:53away from that.
47:54But we also have to make sure that these sex scenes are not just gratuitous sex scenes. We're learning about
47:58these guys
47:59and we're learning about their relationship. And so it's quite important that they be very specific.
48:03And without specificity, it's not interesting. It's just like a mess of bodies. And you can see that anywhere.
48:08You know?
48:09It's not sexy either. It's not sexy without that. And 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. Thank you guys.
48:34Thank you to everyone here at Imagination.
48:38Thank you to Emily for coming in and doing this and being amazing at it.
48:45And thank you to everyone that's here at Prairie of Mexico and this whole team.
48:50We really appreciate everything from Prairie Quebec. Thank you so much.
48:54And thank you to you guys for coming tonight. We appreciate you.
48:57Come on. Have a good night.
Comments