{"id":423804,"date":"2026-01-22T22:52:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T22:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/423804\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T22:52:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T22:52:08","slug":"heated-rivalrys-christina-chang-on-her-love-for-yuna-season-2-hopes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/423804\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Heated Rivalry\u2019s’ Christina Chang on Her Love for Yuna, Season 2 Hopes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tChristina Chang<\/a> loves playing Yuna Hollander. It\u2019s evident seconds into hearing the Taiwanese-American actress speak about the character.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn HBO Max<\/a>\u2018s breakout hit series Heated Rivalry, Chang\u2019s Yuna serves as the show\u2019s matriarchal figure. A slightly more-nuanced version of the mom-ager role, Yuna spends much of the Jacob Tierney<\/a>-created series fiercely devoted to her son, Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams<\/a>), one half of the show\u2019s rivals-turned-lovers pairing.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201c[Tierney] strikes the balance well [of] a loving mom who is concerned about her son\u2019s wellbeing, but is also like, \u2018How do we capitalize on your growing success?\u2019\u201d Chang explains on a Zoom from her home in Canada to The Hollywood Reporter. \u201cShe wants to make sure, as a fierce advocate of her son, that he\u2019s not missing out on any of these wonderful opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tYuna\u2019s biggest moment of the series came in the show\u2019s finale when, after seven years of hiding their more-than-complicated, not-quite-relationship, her husband David (Dylan Walsh) finds Shane kissing rival professional hockey player Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie<\/a>), leading Shane to come out to his parents.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s an emotional moment for the show \u2014 and frankly, for anyone who has been in the shoes of coming out to a parent. \u201cThat scene was a large part of why I took [the role],\u201d Chang says. <\/p>\n

\n\tBelow, the actress shares behind-the-scenes moments of filming the emotional coming out scene, why she loves playing Yuna and which character she\u2019s hoping to have \u201cmama bear\u201d time with in season two<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\t***<\/p>\n

\n\tHow are you feeling with the success of the show? I have to imagine it\u2019s a little strange.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt is strange. Honestly, I\u2019ve not been a part of something that\u2019s been a phenomenon<\/a> like this. I\u2019ve done a lot of projects I\u2019ve felt really good about that have gotten some recognition, but not on this level, so it\u2019s different. I\u2019m sort of in awe and just kind of sitting back. I\u2019m in Canada, so I just live in Zoom boxes. Essentially, I\u2019m along for the ride with everybody else. We\u2019re all watching Connor [Storrie] and Hudson [Williams] and all the fun things they\u2019re doing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat was it about Yuna as a character that you related to that made you want this role?<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen I read the script and came to the last episode<\/a>, that scene was a large part of why I took it. It\u2019s a good representation of other people\u2019s experiences, too. It reflects other experiences and also provides a template for parents and their adult children or younger children moving forward.<\/p>\n

\n\tI was hoping it would be something that could help normalize that kind of experience and conversation. This isn\u2019t to say the other experiences we\u2019ve seen played out more in television and film \u2014 the more violent, traumatic, grief-stricken experiences \u2014 aren\u2019t real. Those are very much a part of the LGBTQ+\u2019s community. I don\u2019t want to take away from that. But I think it\u2019s really nice too to see something joyful and sexy with people riding off into the sunset<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019d love to hear more about that finale scene where Shane and Yuna talk.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt was originally written differently, and then Jacob rewrote that. I don\u2019t know if you\u2019ve heard, but on the day, he changed the scene \u2014 [not] intention-wise, he just distilled it with less words; the way he felt that Yuna and Shane could handle that moment better. He fine-tuned it, and I think it was brilliant.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt was fantastic to begin with, and filming it was as easy as it could be because the structure, the words, the script were so good. It wasn\u2019t challenging in terms of trying to get there or make it as good as we possibly could. Hudson was a great scene partner.<\/p>\n

\n\tSomething that really stuck with me was Yuna saying she\u2019s sorry to Shane and instead of him saying \u201cit\u2019s fine,\u201d he says he forgives her. That feels like a pretty big distinction and something we don\u2019t see often.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen you\u2019re in the scene doing that, you\u2019re not thinking about how gratifying it might be or how the public or the viewers will receive it. So rarely as children and adult children do we get to hear \u201cI\u2019m sorry\u201d from our parents. It was really important for me to be able to play a character who can do that, and be as vulnerable as Yuna can in that moment. Instead of being defensive or angry, she gets right to the point, which is her grief about it. Because underlying all of those things is usually sadness, and I\u2019m so glad she was that person in that moment for her child.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tHeated Rivalry \u2013 (L to R) Christina Chang as Yuna Hollander and Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander in Episode 106 of Heated Rivalry.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSabrina Lantos\/HBO Max\/Crave<\/p>\n

\n\tThe character of Yuna is really interesting because of her evolution from the book. Jacob was able integrate your character more in the series. She\u2019s certainly a big part of what\u2019s to come. How familiar were you with the books?<\/p>\n

\n\tI didn\u2019t read them because I came to the project a little bit later, so there wasn\u2019t time to ingest all of them. Yuna is still Yuna, but Jacob had really flushed her out. There are scenes in the show that aren\u2019t in the books. I really loved what he did with her, so I\u2019m straddling the line because I really want to read the books, but I\u2019m scared. There\u2019s a responsibility being a character who already exists in so many people\u2019s imaginations. I\u2019m actually really glad I hadn\u2019t read it going in. The pressure\u2026 When I met Rachel [Reid, author], I was like, \u201cOK, I want to know, but I don\u2019t want to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tI really want to [read the books], but there\u2019s a part of me that\u2019s like, \u201cIt\u2019s also really nice to just receive the character on the page that\u2019s been fleshed out by Jacob because I trust him.\u201d He knows the books inside and out, so whatever vision he has for the character is what I want to do, but I\u2019m going to talk to Jacob about it. I take it you read the books?<\/p>\n

\n\tI did. Before I wrote that first story <\/a>about the show\u2019s internet popularity prior to the HBO pickup, I went and read both books. <\/p>\n

\n\tSo you understand what I\u2019m saying. From everything I\u2019ve heard from people that have read, [Yuna]\u2019s a little bit different.<\/p>\n

\n\tShe definitely is. Jacob leans more into that mom-ager aspect in an interesting way. It\u2019s easy to go down that road and have it feel tired or like a trope. Yuna doesn\u2019t fall into that, but were you ever nervous about that?<\/p>\n

\n\tNo, because I think you\u2019re right. He strikes the balance well [of] a loving mom who is, of course, concerned about her son\u2019s wellbeing, but is also like, \u201cHow do we capitalize on your growing success?\u201d In the beginning, it\u2019s like, \u201cOK, we\u2019ve got Reebok, so I really want you to wear them because there are a lot of kids that are looking up to you.\u201d It starts there. Then by the time he\u2019s where he is, it\u2019s like, \u201cAll right, now we got to get Rolex in there and go to Wimbledon.\u201d She\u2019s not pushing. I think like all parents, we are hoping our children have wonderful opportunities. She just wants to make sure as a fierce advocate of her son, that he\u2019s not missing out on any of these wonderful opportunities. That\u2019s how I saw it. I think she strikes the balance well.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlso, I have to give a shout-out to hockey moms. That type of dedication for that sport in particular is intense. If he started skating at a very young age, which he did, and she\u2019s also such a hockey fan, her enthusiasm is already built in about the sport. She\u2019s dedicated to taking him to all of the practices and games. I know hockey moms up here in Canada, and I never see them. They\u2019re so busy taking their kids. It\u2019s early mornings and late nights. It\u2019s three-hour drives to a game and then the three hours back. It\u2019s hardcore, so shout out to those moms.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s been a lot of talk about how the sexiness of the story is what draws people in, but it\u2019s really about the heart. At its core, it\u2019s just a truly romantic story.<\/a> What do you hope people take from Heated Rivalry?<\/p>\n

\n\tI think ultimately this is a love story. It\u2019s [about] romantic love, friendship \u2014 the wonderful best friends, the women\u00a0and then familial love. Authentic human connection is at the core of this show, and I want that to be the takeaway. If you can love this show then you can embrace the LGBTQ+ community. The ripple effect is, if you are a parent and know what it is to love and want to protect your child, then you can connect to this show. If you have trouble speaking to your child at any stage in their life, let this be also a template for that.<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019m still in the role of parent. That role will never end, thankfully, for me, but I\u2019m always reminding myself to just stay in the room for the challenging or frustrating moment, the difficult one. All parents come from a place of love. Most do, right? It\u2019s about figuring out the best way to protect our child in the way they need versus the way we want. That\u2019s the parental takeaway for me, a reminder for me, but in general, overall, I\u2019d say this is just love is love, is love.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou worked probably the closest with Hudson given the amount of scenes you had together. What was it like working on set and what\u2019re you most excited about for season two?<\/p>\n

\n\tIt was wonderful working with Hudson, Huddy<\/a>. He is so easy and relaxed, in general, and he\u2019s funny. They\u2019re both clowns, if I\u2019m being honest. He\u2019s really easy to work with and I\u2019m looking forward to more clowning, is the short answer.<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019m really looking forward to working more with Connor<\/a> [in season two] because I didn\u2019t really get to do that [in season one]. I got to spend some time offset with him, obviously, on location when we were away, but I would love to do more on screen with him. They\u2019re both really fun actors, and when people have a sense of humor it just brings a different type of life to the vibe in the room. I can\u2019t wait to do more with them and some of the other cast members, hopefully. know nothing about season two. I\u2019m not being coy. We know nothing, but my hope is that Yuna gets to spend some time with other people.<\/p>\n

\n\tDo you have hopes for Yuna as a character in season two, even if you don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen yet?<\/p>\n

\n\tOther than them being maybe flown to Wimbledon? I think probably getting some mama bear time in with Ilya. There\u2019s some rich material there potentially. Again, we don\u2019t know what Jacob\u2019s planning, but I think that could be really rewarding and nice for Ilya\u2019s character to experience, since obviously his mom died. Aside from all the fun things they might be able to do, all their little adventures, that would be probably the most heartfelt thing that I would like to see.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat has it been like to see all the love that Connor and Hudson have been getting from the series?<\/p>\n

\n\tThey deserve all the flowers, so I\u2019m really happy to see that they are having this experience. I continue to say to them when we speak or text, \u201cJust make sure that you\u2019re hydrating and sleeping and taking care of yourself.\u201d I couldn\u2019t be more happy for them. This couldn\u2019t have happened to nicer guys. They\u2019re truly kind and thoughtful people.<\/p>\n

\n\t***<\/p>\n

\n\tHeated Rivalry<\/a> season one is now streaming on HBO Max.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Christina Chang loves playing Yuna Hollander. It\u2019s evident seconds into hearing the Taiwanese-American actress speak about the character.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":423805,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[201921,162091,162092,88,1010,162094,162095,162096,92],"class_list":{"0":"post-423804","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-christina-chang","9":"tag-connor-storrie","10":"tag-crave","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-hbo-max","13":"tag-heated-rivalry","14":"tag-hudson-williams","15":"tag-jacob-tierney","16":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=423804"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423804\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/423805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=423804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=423804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=423804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}