Hudson Williams has been scoring some meaningful private messages.
In fact, the Heated Rivalry actor, who plays closeted gay hockey star Shane Hollander opposite Connor Storie (Ilya Rozanov) on the Crave/HBO Max show, revealed that he has received multiple DMs from closeted LGBTQ+ athletes who appreciate the show.
“The people who reach out, somewhat anonymously, who are like, ‘I’m a professional player still, and I’m still in the closet,’” Hudson said in a Jan. 7 clip from his appearance on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM show Radio Andy. “They’re [also] reaching out to Rachel [Reid], our author, who will then kind of relay these lovely anonymous emails.”
The 24-year-old added of the hockey, football and basketball players he’s heard from, “Sometimes they’re just reaching out privately through Instagram, and those ones are the ones that really just kind of hit you and go, ‘Oh, so this is a fun show, and it’s celebratory, but also sometimes it’s just hitting people right in the nerve.’”
But gratitude isn’t the only emotion Hudson has felt in the six weeks since the show premiered for U.S. audiences on HBO Max. Indeed, he’s fully aware that his viral popularity is “crazy.”
“It definitely feels like an overnight rapid success,” he said during an appearance on CNN News Central Jan. 7. “There was kind of a sprinkle of like, ‘Oh, maybe it’ll do well, or maybe it’ll sell overseas.’ And the level of the stratosphere it’s reached is—it’s a little overwhelming.”
And the Canada native—who bares nearly all during Heated Rivalry’s NSFW scenes—admitted that his lack of privacy now “feels weird” and has required him to set some boundaries, adding, “The relationship with the fans is like, you know, you have to kind of draw the line at points.”
Ultimately, however, Hudson—who identifies as half-Korean, half-white—is simply honored that the show’s success means better representation.
Rob Latour/Shutterstock for The Actor Awards“I hope that little Asian kids are like, ‘Ooh, I want to become an actor,’” he told GQ last month, before quipping about the idea of being a role model. “A role model for the next Asian kid that wants to get railed.”
While waiting for Heated Rivalry’s second season, keep reading to see other TV shows that premiere soon.
