“Heated Rivals” stars Conor Storey and Hudson Williams made their presenting debuts at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday.
The pair took to the stage to the tune of Chappell Lorne’s “The Pink Pony Club,” where they won the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series.
“I’m sorry, but I’m a little nervous about attending my first Golden Globes,” Storey said with a theatrical shudder.
Hudson offered advice from onstage, giving a nod to the steamy, often undressed scenes she shared on screen.
“Oh yeah, I don’t know if it’s going to work out, considering what everyone’s seen us doing…you know,” Storey replied.
Afterwards, the two joked that while not everyone in the audience might have seen “Heated Rivals,” trainers, mothers, and daughters all have. “Hello, mothers!” “Hello, daughters!” they shouted before Erin Doherty was announced as the winner of the supporting role award for “Adolescence.” Her win follows co-stars Stephen Graham as lead actor in a limited series and Owen Cooper as supporting actor, making her the youngest ever winner in this category.
In “Heated Rivals,” Story and Williams will play the roles of professional hockey players Ilya Rozanov and Shane Williams, who fall in love after a 10-year secret relationship. The cast also includes Francois Arnault, Robbie GK, Christina Cheung, Dylan Walsh, Nadine Baba and Sophie Nélisse.
The show, created by Jacob Tierney and produced by Canadian streamer Crave and available on HBO Max in the US, is based on Rachel Reid’s queer hockey romance novel series Game Changers.
Story and Williams rose to worldwide fame in just about six weeks after HBO premiered the six-episode first season. A second season is currently in development.
Williams made his late-night talk show debut Wednesday on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Story will do the same, but will appear on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” on Monday. Story also joined “Abbott Elementary” star Janelle James to announce the nominations for this year’s Actor of the Year award on Wednesday.
Despite its popularity and critical acclaim, “Heated Rivals” is not eligible for an Emmy Award because it is only funded outside the United States. HBO Max is not a producer or co-financer of Season 1 and will not be involved in Season 2. “We’re not going to get involved,” HBO and Max Content Chairman and CEO Casey Bloys told Variety’s Michael Schneider in December. “I think the last thing the show needs is for people to interfere with what works, so I don’t think I need to have an opinion. Obviously, they have a good understanding of the show and what works. I’m looking forward to receiving the episodes and highlighting them on HBO Max.”
Variety’s parent company PMC owns Golden Globe Award producer Dick Clark Prods. In a joint venture with Eldridge.
