‘Do the leg thing:’ Mark Carney meets ‘Heated Rivalry’ star Hudson Williams on red carpet

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The breakout Canadian star of Crave’s original hit series “Heated Rivalry” was back on home ice Thursday night.

Hudson Williams – who plays Ottawa-born Shane Hollander – hit the red carpet at a gala for Canada’s media industry heavyweights, alongside Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Stepping out together, Carney and Williams embraced, and after a flurry of photos, gave a joint interview to CTV’s Etalk. During the segment, Williams presented the prime minister with the white fleece he wore in the series – not a replica, as many Canadians have started making.

IN PICTURES: Hudson Williams and PM Carney hit the red carpet together

“This is true soft power,” Carney said, joking about how the international heartthrob and he were “basically” the same, as they posed for more photos together.

“Congratulations on creating a story that has struck a chord with so many across this country, around the world. Because of you, cottage season will have a whole new meaning this summer,” Carney later said to a sold-out ballroom of industry players at the “Prime Time” conference in the nation’s capital.

Sophie Nelisse, who plays Rose Landry, also joined Williams, as well as show co-creators Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady, for a special panel discussion following Carney’s remarks.

Organized by the Canadian Media Producers Association and moderated by Etalk senior correspondent Lainey Lui, the discussion centred on the show’s success and its cultural impact.

Speaking with CTV News on the red carpet, Nelisse said that while Heated Rivalry may have set the bar high, it’s shown what’s achievable.

“And I think that’s because our crews are there for the right reasons, we’re there because we love art and we’re passionate,” she said, adding that for her, it’s why those who believe in projects shouldn’t give up.

The six-part drama centres on a pair of professional hockey players that are rivals on the ice, but — as character Ilya Rozanov (played by American actor Connor Storrie) puts it in the final episode of the first season — secret “lovers” off of it.

In the two months since its release, the smash series has garnered millions of fans and seized the cultural conversation. The success has catapulted the cast into worldwide fame, seeing them hit red carpets, work the talk show and late-night circuit, and in the case of Williams and Storrie, become Olympic torchbearers for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games.

The show, adapted from a series of romance novels by Nova Scotia-based author Rachel Reid, is a Canadian production to its core, from the cast and the soundtrack to the product placement and shooting locations.

Tierney, one of the lead executives who helped make the book-to-screen Heated Rivalry a reality, said being able to bring “something joyful, and full of love and deeply queer” to audiences at this moment, was why the show was made.

“It’s really, incredibly special for people to respond to it the way that they have. We’re incredibly grateful … I did not ever imagine that it would be received the way that it has been, but it’s very moving and very gratifying,” he said.

The show has already been renewed for a second season, which Tierney says will hopefully bring the show back to Ottawa. Being credited for helping cast Canadian content in a new light, Tierney said watching the show “go around the world” and do “wonderful, soft-power things for this country,” is a testament to the need for decisionmakers to continue investing in homegrown talent.

“It’s just showing that, because of the investment in culture, you get to have a Heated Rivalry, and without that, you probably wouldn’t have.”

Bell Media opted to fully finance the show, with the exception of a more-than $3-million contribution from the Canadian Media Fund, allowing showrunners to maintain creative control.

Referencing the chatter of studios south of the Canada-U.S. border wanting to water down the show in his speech, Carney applauded Tierney for doing “the right thing.”

“He did the smart thing. He came home to Canada,” Carney said.

“I might not have been here when the decision was made, but I’m here now … I’m going to take credit for bringing Shane and Ilya to Ottawa – where I am an MP – in season two,” the prime minister joked at the end of his remarks.

When the show dropped in late November, it became Crave’s No. 1 original series debut on record in the first seven-day streams. Now picked up by streamers worldwide, Heated Rivalry is now heralded as the most-watched original series in the streamer’s history.

“We’ve had hits before, but this is a really great example of great, really authentic storytelling,” said Bell Media President Sean Cohan.

“So, what are we taking away? We’re going to continue to, and elevate, making big, making bold, making authentic, not shying away from specific, not shying away from ‘big C’, Canadian content,” he added.

CTV News, Crave and CP24 are owned by Bell Media, which is a division of BCE.