{"id":372665,"date":"2025-12-26T09:00:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T09:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/372665\/"},"modified":"2025-12-26T09:00:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T09:00:06","slug":"heated-rivalry-director-jacob-tierney-on-ilya-and-shane-hockey-fans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/372665\/","title":{"rendered":"Heated Rivalry director Jacob Tierney on Ilya and Shane, hockey fans"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

Heated Rivalry has inspired watch parties, fan edits, and a level of obsession usually reserved for playoff runs. It has also found its way into NHL buildings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For director Jacob Tierney, that response raises a bigger question: Can a TV show from Canada \u2014 adapted from Rachel Reid\u2019s Game Changer book series with the help of HBO \u2014 help hockey reach beyond its usual audience? Now that the finale at the cottage has aired, it seems clear the answer is yes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tierney suspected he had bronchitis when he spoke to USA TODAY\u2019s For The Win and was on antibiotics, the result of a nonstop press tour promoting the show\u2019s occasionally spicy<\/a> queer hockey romance centered on the magnetic Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, played by Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie.<\/p>\n

More: ‘Heated Rivalry’ stars, sexuality rumors and what we can learn<\/a><\/p>\n

The show has grown so big that the NHL released a statement<\/a> addressing its impact and influence (via The Hollywood Reporter<\/a>):<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are so many ways to get hooked on hockey and, in the NHL\u2019s 108-year history, this might be the most unique driver for creating new fans. See you all at the rink.\u201d<\/p>\n

That surge in popularity has also meant that Williams and Storrie have gone from virtually unknown to overnight stars.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just happy it\u2019s working. I\u2019m delighted,\u201d Tierney told For The Win. \u201cPeople seem to like it, and that\u2019s what matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fans have gathered in sports bars<\/a> to watch the show\u2019s biggest moments as if they were Stanley Cup games \u2014 and they\u2019ve noticed everything. That includes Easter eggs ranging from Hollander\u2019s heartbeat matching Rozanov\u2019s jersey number to needle drops timed perfectly to pivotal plot points.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, people have noticed everything \u2014 things I didn\u2019t even consciously put in,\u201d Tierney said. \u201cI\u2019ve never felt so observed in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of those songs from the soundtrack, like “I’ll Believe in Anything” and “All the Things She Said”<\/a> have massively spiked with listeners.<\/p>\n

For The Win caught up with Tierney to discuss the viral series, its breakout stars Williams and Storrie, co-star Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud, the soundtrack fueling the show\u2019s momentum, and the NHL and Montreal Canadiens<\/a> \u2014 also known as the Habs.<\/p>\n

Fans can watch the first season of Heated Rivalry, which was recently renewed for a second season, on HBO Max.<\/p>\n

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.<\/p>\n

More: Andrew Scott surprises ‘Heated Rivalry’ star in sweet podcast moment<\/a><\/p>\n

When did you realize you had something special with this show, especially with leads who weren\u2019t established stars?<\/p>\n

Tierney: I\u2019ve been doing this a long time. I knew we had something really good, but that doesn\u2019t always matter. There\u2019s so much noise now \u2014 so much TV, so much content. I knew we had a good show, and once HBO picked it up, I knew we had a fighting chance to get noticed. But everything that\u2019s happened since has been completely insane. I never could have predicted any of this.<\/p>\n

We were never going to cast stars in these roles. That was always the idea. I think romance as a genre is often better served by lesser-known actors, because the audience can really project onto the characters rather than a pre-existing persona. With something like this, it was important that they could just be Ilya and Shane \u2014 not bring other baggage into it. The level of alchemy has been wild. We definitely didn\u2019t anticipate anything like this.<\/p>\n

What kind of impact do you hope this has on the hockey community?<\/p>\n

Tierney: It\u2019s a great question. I think you have to wait and see what these things actually do. But it\u2019s incredibly cool that someone in the Bruins organization and someone with the Habs are clearly really into it and keep playing our songs. That\u2019s [expletive] amazing.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m born and raised in Montreal \u2014 the Habs are a religion where I\u2019m from \u2014 so every time they show our trailer playing on the Jumbotron, it\u2019s so [expletive] cool.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I hope what the NHL said yesterday is sincere, that they really are valuing new eyes and the new air that comes with that. Hockey is a sport I love deeply, but it doesn\u2019t always reach beyond its core fan base. I think it could use a little crack, a little oxygen getting in there.<\/p>\n

The NHL seems to function like the Catholic Church in terms of its insularity. People say that with Habs all the time: Only the Habs do pageantry better than the Catholic Church.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a stoicism to hockey, a desire for this monolithic image, and I think the sport can survive a lot more than that. I don\u2019t imagine a culture shift but even if it\u2019s just moving an inch to the left, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s a bad thing. Ultimately, the bigger the audience, the better for the sport.<\/p>\n

Rachel Reid and I are huge hockey fans. This show is a love letter to hockey in its own way. It was never made to slight the sport \u2014 that\u2019s just not true.<\/p>\n

How have you elevated the source material with a soundtrack filled with so many amazing Canadian indie bands?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tierney: I have a friend who said to me recently: \u201cDo people know that the soundtrack is just a playlist you made in 2008?\u201d Fair enough. These are just songs that I love that speak to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been a Wolf Parade fan since their first EP. With Feist, I grew up with Broken Social Scene and that whole explosion of Canadian music, which was incredibly meaningful to me. I love music, and I\u2019m always looking for new stuff too \u2014 whether it\u2019s Wet Leg or whatever connects with me now.<\/p>\n

If a song moves me, and it works with the images, hopefully it moves other people too. The reaction to the music has been really rewarding. Wolf Parade actually sent me a lovely note yesterday \u2014 they were really happy. And \u201cI\u2019ll Believe in Anything\u201d is an anthem and it deserves all the attention it\u2019s getting. It\u2019s an amazing song.<\/p>\n

What can Heated Rivalry teach athletes and fans alike about vulnerability and intimacy?<\/p>\n

Tierney: You\u2019re already seeing shifts with younger players being aware of their own mental health and trying to take care of yourself. The NHL has made some good efforts, like the Player Assistance Program. There is a desire there.<\/p>\n

A lot of traditionally masculine cultures struggle with allowing people to say things out loud. Not every bit of vulnerability has to be presented behind closed doors. You can be vulnerable and still have the mental and physical toughness required to be a professional athlete.<\/p>\n

If anything, vulnerability is attractive. It\u2019s not harmful, and it\u2019s good for your mental health.<\/p>\n

For future seasons, do you envision even more hockey on screen, especially with a potentially larger budget?<\/p>\n

Tierney: I don\u2019t think it changes that much. I\u2019ve always described this as a workplace romance \u2014 hockey is their workplace. I love hockey, but I wanted to make a show where you don\u2019t need to understand icing to follow the story. It\u2019s about rivalry and competition, about winning and losing.<\/p>\n

Someone tweeted that they were glad the hockey \u201cfades to black\u201d on Heated Rivalry, which made me laugh because that\u2019s usually how sex is treated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There actually is a fair amount of hockey in the show, and our hockey coordinator did a [expletive] great job. It looks good.<\/p>\n

But this was never going to be a show where you get an episode that\u2019s just a full game. That\u2019s not happening. Hockey is still the beating heart of the show, though \u2014 and you\u2019ll definitely get more of it in the second season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Heated Rivalry has inspired watch parties, fan edits, and a level of obsession usually reserved for playoff runs.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":372666,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[448,449,64,63,63033,447,455,134,443,9054,3915,322,456,938,5790,44,575,323,451,1861,201522,439,442,444,440,6213,85,635,39,427,453,452,441],"class_list":["post-372665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-affiliate","tag-arts","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-canadiens","tag-celebrities","tag-celebrities-u0026-entertainment-news","tag-entertainment","tag-guides","tag-hbo","tag-hockey","tag-local","tag-local-affiliate-arts-u0026-entertainment","tag-montreal","tag-montreal-canadiens","tag-news","tag-nhl","tag-overall","tag-overall-positive","tag-people","tag-people-u0026-society","tag-positive","tag-programs","tag-reference","tag-shows","tag-society","tag-sports","tag-sports-news","tag-top-stories","tag-tv","tag-tv-guides-u0026-reference","tag-tv-shows-u0026-programs","tag-u0026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=372665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372665\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/372666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=372665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=372665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=372665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}