rundown
Heat Rivalry stars Connor Story and Hudson Williams became close friends off-screen while working on the hit series. The two actors have talked about their closeness in interviews, with Story telling W, “Hudson is my best friend and I literally can’t imagine doing this without him.” Williams was similarly candid about her deep appreciation for her co-stars, telling Variety, “We just really love each other.”
The heated rivalry between HBO Max and Crave quickly became one of the year’s most talked-about series, catapulting stars Conner Story and Hudson Williams into the celebrity stratosphere. The two actors play hockey players Shane Hollander (Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Story), who have been in a secret love affair for almost a decade. The series is known not only for its beautiful depiction of romantic longing, but also for its spicy intimate scenes.
In interviews, Story and Williams spoke candidly about their experience working on the show and their off-screen relationship as they navigated sudden fame together.
“Hudson is my best friend and I literally can’t imagine doing this without him,” Storey told W magazine in December. “Up until now, we’ve been in similar positions in life. We both quit our jobs within a day of each other. We booked this time and left the same day. Now we’re two people who are getting international attention for the first time. This was a highlight of my life, and meeting Hudson made it ten times sweeter.”
Here’s everything the two actors shared about their friendship.
They are best friends (not dating).
Fans of the show tend to “ship” hoping that Williams and Story date in real life. Storey addressed this point head-on in an interview with Vulture, saying things are strictly platonic.
When asked about the intimate scenes filmed on the show, Storey said, “For me, it’s not spicy at all. It’s like, it’s me and my best friend. It’s the first time in my life that I’ve had so many eyes on me. They’ve seen me naked, they’ve kissed me, they’ve seen me on screen falling in love with a guy. It’s normal for people to try to transfer that to me and Hudson’s real life.” He explained that he intends to keep his personal life private, adding, “I’m honored to be able to bring to life a character that makes so many people feel seen and understood and represented. I think that goes beyond who she sleeps with in real life.”
Williams expressed similar sentiments to Deadline, saying, “I want queer people to tell queer stories, but there’s also an element of Connor and I. We’re best friends and I love expressing that physically. I don’t want to make assumptions or assumptions. When I look at people, I feel like I have to let that go. But again, I never want to stop physically expressing my love for Conor, and I don’t really intend to, and I think multiple things can be true at the same time.”
They complimented each other’s physiques.
Both Williams and Story were in great shape heading into the show. In a December 2025 GQ profile, Williams spoke about meeting her co-star and being intimidated by his size.
“Connor pushed himself up onto the kitchen island,” Williams said. “I remember seeing his arm and it was as big as my leg. I thought, oh my god.”
“That’s not true,” Storey replied. “There’s something wrong with your legs.”
The show’s creator, Jacob Tierney, also commented on their love for each other in the series, saying, “They’re living a banana problem right now – absolutely bananas – and they’re dealing with it with grace and humor and generosity. They adore each other, and it’s like thanking God.”
While discussing his workout routine with Men’s Health magazine in January, Williams joked about Story’s physique: “It’s okay to talk about your butt, but I’m sure poor Connor Storey – who has the biggest butt I’ve ever seen on a man – wants to stop talking about his beautiful cheeks.”
They joked about themselves being “weird” at the wrap party.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in December, the friends talked about the viral video of them rolling around on the floor together at their heated rivalry’s wrap party.
“Honestly, Hudson and I are freaks,” Storey explained. “We’re clowns. We love to riff and have fun and go crazy. And those two situations were situations where we were caught off guard while we were doing our thing. The wrap party, that was all improvised. I think we were just putting on a show.”
Williams added, “And I think there may be something else as well. We’re both very physical actors, and movement is a big part of that.”
They lived next door while filming the show.
In an interview with Vulture, Story talked about moving into the apartment next door to Williams while filming in Toronto.
“We literally went to the set, went home, cooked, trained together, and were raving about how excited we were to finally be able to work at this level,” he said. “If we weren’t closer, we probably would have gotten annoyed with each other quickly.”
Story talked about how he and Williams handled the press tour and their decision to “enhance” their chemistry.
The American actor told Vulture that he leaned into their chemistry while promoting the first season of Heat Rivalry. “I think if Hudson jokingly said, ‘Spit in your mouth,’ that would give everyone else the green light to join in,” he said. “People talk about our holes and butts relentlessly.”
In a conversation with Interview, Story added that spending time with Williams helped them both stay grounded during the press tour. “Hudson is in town, so we’re going to spend some quality time and get back to ground zero,” he said. “The funny thing is, jobs like press are getting easier and easier. You’d think you’d be burnt out and exhausted. So even though I’ve only been doing press for three weeks, I have an interesting sense of confidence and gratitude for all of this.”
Meanwhile, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Williams praised Story for helping keep the press tour fun. “I’ve had one of my best friends my whole life by my side, which is already a luxury that a lot of actors don’t have,” he said. “If I hadn’t had him go through this, I probably wouldn’t have had as much of an appetite for the amount of work that we’re doing. I lean more toward being promiscuous and extroverted, but I still feel like — I have ADHD and I’m off my medication for a while now. After all, I’m pretty forgiving of myself even if I’m talking politely and boringly to reporters.” So when I drink coffee and take a nap, I try to say, no matter how I feel, don’t be mean. ”
Story and Williams attend Vanity Fair and Amazon awards season events together on January 10, 2026.
Both Williams and Story are big fans of each other’s acting.
Timid Magazine asked Williams how acting the story helped him act better. Williams said, “He has such an incredible presence, and he’s incredibly sincere. It’s very easy as an actor to think what you should do, what’s going to be the funniest version of this or the most dramatic version of this, or make sure you’re hitting these lines right, or doing the scene right, or making sure the director wants this and the script says this. But… Just actually listening to the person and letting what they’re saying affect you. Connor is very good at that. There are a lot of moments where I’m saying something,” and the script says he does this and he’s a huge resource to influence me even when I’m very robotic and I don’t have to be there, so that’s his superpower.
Meanwhile, Story praised Williams in an interview for helping him understand Elijah quickly. “I feel like I understood the character right away,” he began. “I believed in his situation with almost no effort, and I had so much faith in Hudson. It’s so easy to play when you know where you’re coming from and believe in the person opposite you. I mean, I’m very clingy. I’m a very romantic. So the moments where the emotions really run high – the love and confessions and explosions and fights – are the moments that I really enjoy as an actor.”
They have several nicknames for each other and have matching tattoos.
In an interview with Timid magazine, Williams listed all the nicknames he and Story have for each other. “He calls me Hadi, Papi, Baba, Baby,” he said. “I call him Pookie. I used to call him Pookie. Papi. Oh, Concon. That’s what I call him both in text and verbally. But yeah, I have a lot of nicknames.”
GQ revealed that when the series ended, they got matching tattoos that read “SEX SELLS.”
Williams said working on the show made her more comfortable expressing herself physically and that she and Storey shared a “big spoon hug.”
The Canadian star revealed that he was staying at Story’s Los Angeles apartment when he came to the United States for press work. “We thought, ‘Oh my God, people are going to go crazy if they see us getting ready in the morning and giving each other a spoon hug to say we’re proud of each other,'” he told Variety. “God forbid if only one fan had access to it. But yeah, we just love each other dearly.”
The outlet asked him what creating a heated rivalry has taught him. Williams said, “I think I had my own biases. Maybe that’s too strong a word, but I feel uncomfortable when I express my feelings fully, physically, and lovingly, with both women and men. It would feel inappropriate. If I truly love someone, whether it’s platonic or not, I feel very uncomfortable. I realized that I’m a tactile, sensual person. There are a lot of taboos. I had to let go of that, and I had to learn how freeing that is, too. Connor was a great person to be by my side, really. I think we are able to express each other more freely and expressively. ”
Details of the heated rivalry
