![\"Christina](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768612870_80_0x0.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Christina Chang as Yuna Hollander in “Heated Rivalry”<\/p>\n
Sabrina Lantos<\/p>\n
Yes, actress Christina Chang is currently turning heads and swooning hearts as Yuna Hollander, the supportive mother of professional hockey superstar Shane (played by breakout star Hudson Williams) on the global phenomenon that is Heated Rivalry, but she has been striving to play a wide array of characters for years – from her memorable work on television shows like The Good Doctor, 24, Revenge and more. <\/p>\n
Born in Taiwan to a Chinese-Filipino father and an English-Scottish mother, Chang, 54, initially sought out to be a ballet dancer, but at the age of 13, she was told to wear a back brace for scoliosis, which abruptly stopped that career move. By her late teens, Chang moved to the U.S. to attend school, unknowing yet that acting would be a serious option in her future, though she knew that she was \u201clooking for a creative outlet.\u201d Initially studying theater, Chang began to pivot more towards television and film acting, but admits that she would be open to returning to her theater roots in the future. <\/p>\n
Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander, Christina Chang as Yuna Hollander and Dylan Walsh as David Hollander in “Heated Rivalry”<\/p>\n
Sabrina Lantos<\/p>\n
Sitting down with Chang for a conversation over Zoom, I wondered how this Heated Rivalry series from show creator Jacob Tierney (a Crave Canada production that is streaming on HBO Max in the U.S.) initially got on her radar and if she was aware of Rachel Reid\u2019s bestselling books before signing on.<\/p>\n
Chang said, \u201cI was not familiar with the books, in all honesty. I became aware of the project when they came to us with the offer. They gave all six scripts immediately and said, \u2018Please read and let us know what you think.\u2019 I read, I was titillated, I was moved. I had a good conversation with Jacob and I knew midway through the conversation, it would be something I\u2019d want to do. I think our chemistry was there. He\u2019s so witty and smart, which I really appreciate. We were on the same page from the get-go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brendan Brady, Jacob Tierney, Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Dylan Walsh, Hudson Williams, Connor Storrie, Christina Chang and Rachel Reid attend the premiere of “Heated Rivalry” at TIFF Lightbox on November 24, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario.<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
Being that there is so much dramatic irony around Chang\u2019s mother figure character of Yuna on Heated Rivalry, as she is seemingly unaware of her son\u2019s sexuality and secret romance growing with his publicly perceived hockey rival Ilya Rozanov (played by breakout star Connor Storrie). So, how did Chang best approach her on-screen portrayal as Yuna, when Chang knows the truth within this story already?<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I would with any script I have ever gotten, when we have prior knowledge to something and we have to act like we don\u2019t,\u201d Chang said. \u201cYou just have to be fresh every single time. You just have to keep being present within the words – the structure that you\u2019ve been given, which was easy to do because of Jacob\u2019s writing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being a seasoned actress, well-before joining Heated Rivalry, I was curious how Chang would describe the highs and the lows of her career up to this point.<\/p>\n
Christina Chang attends the premiere of “Heated Rivalry” at TIFF Lightbox on November 24, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario.<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
Chang said. \u201cThat it was just that – high and low, you know? I\u2019ve been doing this for 25-ish years and there were some really exciting full years and then others that were a lot more lean. That\u2019s when the work comes in, right? That\u2019s when your other interests come in. That\u2019s when you surround yourself with family, self-work – all the thick-skinned type of work that you have to do, in order to stay in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
When I asked about her overall Heated Rivalry filming interactions, which has included veteran actor Dylan Walsh, who plays her husband David, she shared that \u201cthe whole experience from top to bottom was fantastic. It doesn\u2019t matter whether this got picked up and became the global hit that it is or stayed in Canada, I would say the same. It was a fantastic experience. It felt like working on an independent film in the best way because it was a smaller group of people. We had less time to shoot and that\u2019s just the framework in which we were working.\u201d<\/p>\n
Christina Chang as Yuna Hollander and Dylan Walsh as David Hollander in “Heated Rivalry”<\/p>\n
Sabrina Lantos<\/p>\n
Knowing that Heated Rivalry fans have really resonated with Chang\u2019s dramatic performance as Yuna, especially during a pivotal scene in the season one finale, where Shane bravely comes out to his mom, I decided to surprise Chang with a special video message from her on-screen TV son, Williams, as he had a question ready to ask her. <\/p>\n
Williams said in the video that he shared directly with me, \u201cHi, mama. Love you. My question is if stereotypes play anything in your acting journey and if you like embracing some certain Asian archetypes and playing them, being that you\u2019re part-Asian – or if that most of your interest is just playing characters that have nothing to do with Asian, and how that comes into your work? Love you, mama. Bye-bye.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chang said after watching Williams\u2019 video message, \u201cIn an ideal world, it is about the character, right? The freedom that a lot of actresses have and actors have is that they get to choose – Oh, I just want to be a superhero today or in the next month, I would love to be a doctor. Then, with those of us that are sort of a little bit more marginalized and have had a little bit more trouble in this industry getting noticed, it\u2019s complicated. It\u2019s tricky. There have been times – complete transparency – in my career where I had to take a job because it didn\u2019t matter what the character was. I needed it because nothing had come along for a really long time. That was in my earlier years. I would say both is the answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cI\u2019m interested in the character arc – the life lived and experienced by this character – but also, it\u2019s important to represent the Asian community. I\u2019m not just a woman and just half-Asian, right? I\u2019m also somebody who has had the experience of living overseas and what they call a \u2018third culture kid.\u2019 There\u2019s a whole group of people out there in the world that are considered \u2018third culture kids\u2019 who look like me, but lived in a different country. They\u2019re Caucasian, but they lived in another country and felt like – Where do you belong? That\u2019s here too in the United States – people that come from blended families, people who are mixed race. It\u2019s just layers and layers of that. I\u2019m interested in it all, but it is very important to tell stories – Asian stories, Asian American stories. I\u2019m looking forward to sitting at the table where the decision makers are. That\u2019s my goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
When I brought up with Chang how much the coming out scene in Heated Rivalry has meant to so people from all walks of life, with many vocalizing their appreciation across social media, as well as directly to Chang in private messages over the past few weeks, I wondered if there were any unique challenges that Chang, Williams and Tierney felt when crafting that compassionate and unapologetically human moment for the screen. <\/p>\n
Christina Chang as Yuna Hollander and Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander in “Heated Rivalry”<\/p>\n
Sabrina Lantos<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I will start by saying the original scene is not what we ended up doing – what you ended up seeing on-air,\u201d Chang said. \u201cIt was equally beautifully written. It\u2019s just that on the day, Jacob decided to rewrite it and it became better because it was more distilled. I think, at that point, the audience is ready for what you ended up seeing. So, Jacob was very smart and right to alter the scene a little bit.\u201d <\/p>\n
Chang continued by saying, \u201cThat scene was very important to me. I think it\u2019s so important to see that\u2019s a version that can happen, to reflect that has happened for some people and that it can continue to be something that happens for people. I\u2019m hoping that scene isn\u2019t underlining that experience, but that it can sort of normalize it.\u201d <\/p>\n
Seeing the fast fame surrounding her Heated Rivalry co-stars Storrie and Williams, I was curious how she feels that her fellow actors will be able to continue to navigate this newfound stardom within their lives today.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, they\u2019ve got me,\u201d Chang said. \u201cThey got mom. So, I\u2019m here to make the chicken soup. I have become their assistant. That is what I am. I think they are not going to shift in any way. I think they\u2019re handling it incredibly well. When I talk with them or text with them, they seem like they\u2019re in a good headspace. They\u2019re very good about remaining relaxed through all of it, which I think is so important because that allows you to be present and take it in. I think they\u2019re doing really well. I don\u2019t think they need any advice from anybody yet, unless they ask. They\u2019re exhausted – that’s all I know.\u201d<\/p>\n
With season two already announced at Crave, which will continue to stream on HBO Max, how will this Heated Rivalry cast and crew continue to maintain the \u201cindependent\u201d feel that Chang described earlier surrounding season one filming amidst this worldwide popularity?<\/p>\n
Chang said, \u201cI put my trust completely in Jacob. I think they\u2019re going to work really hard to keep it the same, in terms of the feeling on-set. I trust my co-stars. I don\u2019t know who the new ones might be, but I trust them to make great decisions there, too. I\u2019m just looking forward to the reunion – like the reunion on-set is going to be phenomenal. I\u2019m very much looking forward to it and I\u2019m not worried, in the least.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for what aspects of Yuna that Chang would like to see shown during Heated Rivalry\u2019s second season, she revealed, \u201cI would love to see her interact more with Connor – Ilya, and I think that will happen. I think because now they have been open with her and David, this opens them up a little bit more to their whole world. So, I\u2019m just looking forward to potentially working with all of the other cast members, because up until now, I was only working really with Hudson.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander, Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov, Dylan Walsh as David Hollander and Christina Chang as Yuna Hollander in “Heated Rivalry”<\/p>\n
Sabrina Lantos<\/p>\n
Interjecting that fans of the show will also enjoy Chang\u2019s creative wants moving forward, knowing that Ilya\u2019s mom died several years earlier, Chang added with Yuna in mind: \u201cOh, for sure. She has gained two sons now. So, she is going to be double the trouble in her wheeling and dealing!\u201d<\/p>\n
As I began to conclude our conversation, I asked Chang what she would like to say to Heated Rivalry fans – people everywhere that have championed her acting work on this beloved series. <\/p>\n
\u201cTo all the fans, thank you so, so much. We can\u2019t do what we do without you. Literally – if you\u2019re not there to watch, we\u2019re not on the air, so thank you so much. For those of you who have reached out to me, I am seeing your notes. I\u2019m very slowly reading all of them. I\u2019m just going through them, bit-by-bit, but to all of you who have sent me messages sharing your stories, thank you very much. I\u2019m honored and I feel really grateful I get to play Yuna and that it has made such an impact in your lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Christina Chang as Yuna Hollander and Dylan Walsh as David Hollander in “Heated Rivalry”<\/p>\n
Sabrina Lantos<\/p>\n
Rounding out with my signature interview question, which I also asked previously to Chang\u2019s Heated Rivalry co-stars Williams, Storrie<\/a>, Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud<\/a> and Robbie G.K.<\/a>, I was curious what Chang would say to her character Yuna, if only she could, especially following that emotional coming out scene with her son, Shane. <\/p>\n Chang said to Yuna with Shane in mind, \u201cHe\u2019s going to be okay. You\u2019re going to be okay. Forgive yourself. It\u2019s just gravy from here on out.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Christina Chang as Yuna Hollander in “Heated Rivalry” Sabrina Lantos Yes, actress Christina Chang is currently turning heads…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":414298,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[49,48,174182,140291,174183,75,5863,140293,140290,4150,140296,144947,138665],"class_list":["post-414297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-christina-chang","tag-connor-storrie","tag-crave-canada","tag-entertainment","tag-hbo-max","tag-heated-rivalry","tag-hudson-williams","tag-interview","tag-jacob-tierney","tag-rachel-reid","tag-season-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=414297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/414298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=414297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=414297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=414297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}