Hudson Williams dropped his gloves and shirt.
The ‘Rivals’ star, 24, is making the most of his moment away in a hot new photoshoot for Numero Netherlands, trading in his hockey pads for high fashion at Los Angeles’ Kings Valley Ice Center.
Styled by Adrian Jose Ramos Diaz and photographed by photographer Tyler Patrick Kenney, Williams posed shirtless in a fur coat, leather pants and deconstructed denim by Dsquared 2, Namilia and Willy Chavarria, at one point perched atop a head-to-toe black leather Zamboni.
It’s the perfect setting for the actor, who plays closeted Canadian hockey star Shane Hollander opposite Connor Story’s Ilya Rozanov in the hit Crave/HBO Max queer romance. The role catapulted him from relative obscurity to Internet MVP in a matter of weeks.
“I definitely expected it to have a huge fan base of people who discovered it, but I didn’t expect it to be all over social media,” Williams told the magazine. “It turned out to be a show where everyone gathered together with their friends…I was really surprised.”
The Korean-Canadian actor worked as a waiter in Vancouver until just before filming began on the series, which premiered on November 28 and was renewed for a second season just two weeks later.
“I started from a place where you kind of accepted me, and that was my ministry job, because this could be my job for a few years,” he explained. “And I probably didn’t get a ticket to a successful show. I didn’t really believe it would become something bigger.”
now? He’s still adjusting to life in the spotlight.
“I wouldn’t want to go to a restaurant. I didn’t miss it, but it was easy. It was safe,” he admitted. “And this feels like a tornado.”
Mr Williams says his strong bond with Mr Storey, 25, helped him weather the whirlwind, although he has previously joked that their closeness is “an HR nightmare”.
The Kamloops, British Columbia, native also drew on his personal experiences to shape his portrayal of Shane, although Rachel Reid, author of the book series on which the show is based, confirmed that Shane is autistic.
“My dad is autistic, so we talked a little bit about this,” Williams revealed. “I started wearing it like a giant mask that wrapped around my entire body.”
The actor also spoke about the responsibility of playing a queer protagonist, saying that he focused on Shane’s specific experiences rather than trying to represent the LGBTQ+ community as a whole.
“I just had to focus on this… the little weirdness of the robot boy,” he said.
Williams, on the other hand, is equally fascinated. His 20-minute skincare routine video, “The Cut,” went viral earlier this month, with at least one fan calling it “the best 20 minutes” of his life.
Judging by his sophisticated look in fur and distressed denim, it’s clear that his 39-product regimen is paying off.
