- - Hudson Williams Loves Tattoos, Hates Man Buns

Jenna RosensteinDecember 26, 2025 at 12:00 AM

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Hudson Williams on Heated Rivalry's Finale Richie Lubaton

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On a Zoom call three days before the Heated Rivalry season finale, I tell star Hudson Williams how tricky it's been to formulate fresh questions for our interview together, given that a new feature story, photo shoot, or social video spotlighting him and costar Connor Storrie drops every 10 minutes. “I know, we're oversaturated,” he jokes. “We're going to ease off the gas soon.”

I'm not sure the Heated Rivalry fandom will let that happen. To say the show—produced by Canada's Crave streaming platform and distributed in the States by HBO—is a phenomenon is to undersell it. Fans of the queer hockey romance have been likening this moment to nothing short of a collective psychosis. They're not joking when they say they're more excited for episode six, the season finale, than for Christmas itself. Williams may have first won over hearts for his beautiful portrayal of Shane Hollander, a reserved, anxious hockey player navigating an unlikely love affair with his on-the-ice rival, Storrie's Ilya Rozanov. But it was the way Williams navigated his newfound fame in the public eye—with a sense of humor and refreshing (if not chaotic) candor—that cemented him as the internet's favorite new para-social lover boy.

“Everything, all my expectations, have been fucking put through the wringer and tested and just shat on from crazy heights,” he tells me about the last few weeks. “So now I just take whatever this little zeitgeist, this little sensation gives me—and I try and just stay calm through it all.”

Calm is the perfect word to describe Williams's demeanor during our chat. Anyone in his position should be exhausted, frankly. The media blitz is something he could never have planned for or expected when the show debuted in late November. I was curious about which version of Williams I'd meet on the other end of our call: the unfiltered, charismatic comedian from the hours of social videos I watched to prepare for this interview, or the brilliant, 24-year-old actor in a moment of reflection about the show that changed his life. I was honored to get mostly the latter (with a few moments of levity, of course) as we discussed his emotionally resonant performance in episode six, which will surely stick with fans for years to come.

Ahead, Williams shares all his thoughts on the finale, his personal style journey, and why fans need to manage Hollander's hair expectations going into season two.

This is an emotional episode for Shane—there were so many moments of glistening, waterline tears. What is your trick for getting into that emotional space?

I've always found it easy enough to cry. I don't feel like an emotionally stifled person. I love a good cry, but because I'm so open to it, it doesn't really come out all the time, unless I watch something good or I'm really going through it. So Shane just can carry all my little pains and angst and just sadness. When I get those scenes, I can let go to a degree.

It's interesting because Shane's tears aren't really falling, they're just welling up. I'm thinking specifically of the couch scene, where Shane and Ilya are touching their feet and talking about the future.

I really love that scene. It almost feels like Shane has this notion that if you let the tears fall, now you're crying. But if you don't let them fall...Jacob said something like, “Shane doesn't know how expressive he is.” It almost feels like he thinks he's masking things better than he actually is. But the emotions permeate past what he actually knows people are witnessing, which I think also speaks to his kind of psyche and traits.

Sabrina LantosWhat were you and Connor saying to each other in the credits scene? The music kicks up, but you're talking to each other the whole time. Was that scripted or improv?

That was all improv. Jacob said, “This is what ends our show. So just be Shane and Ilya after this drive.” And it felt like there was an element of both Connor and Hudson mixed into Shane and Ilya, just, “Wow, we did it. We're going to have done something.” I think that was the closest our lines blurred between who we were in that moment and where they are in that moment. It was really beautiful, actually.

Do you remember what you actually said? Because I am sure there will be internet lip readers trying to sleuth it out...

I think we said a lot of things like, “I can't believe we've done this.” I remember a lot of “I love you”s and “Wow—I can't believe we've done it. I can't believe this happened.”

Sabrina LantosShane has one of the funniest moments in the episode, with his visceral reaction to Ilya calling them lovers. I laughed out loud. What is your personal take on that word?

Yeah, God, maybe around my parents, but around someone else's parents? I sure as hell wouldn't be saying “lovers.” It's kind of like the word “moist.” You've got to know how to use it, otherwise it's kind of like, what the fuck are you doing?

The final song is “Bad Things” by Cailin Russo. Now that we have our last needle drop moment, what has been your favorite song in the series so far?

Oh, I love “My Moon My Man” by Feist. It's hard to argue with the “All the Things She Said” mash-up. That is pretty fucking great. The double-needle drop of “I'll Believe in Anything” by Wolf Parade. Jacob Tierney has needle-drop genius and such swagger and confidence in how he uses different genres, things you don't think can work in the same episode, on paper, but then they play out so perfectly.

I'm the beauty director at Bazaar, so people kept asking me about Shane's fake freckles. Ilya's love for his freckles comes up a couple of times in the last episode. How were they applied? What was that process like?

Lola Tung and I have the same freckler. It was such a natural effect. I remember the first time I put them on, I was like, “Oh my god, so baby girl. So cute.” It's basically two stamps. There's one stamp that does tight groupings, and there's another stamp that's a bit more spread out. When we first tried them on, I was like, “Should I be freckled everywhere?” And Jacob was like, “No, just a little smattering.” I was thinking I'd have to freckle everywhere.

We got a good look at your tattoos in the GQ shoot today. What was the process like to cover them during the show?

It's not as long as a lot of people think. It's an hour at most, if I'm really fresh. It just got to the point where it was easier if I left it on. I did shower. It doesn't come off with water, and it doesn't come off with scrubbing. You need alcohol, like 99 percent alcohol, to get those things off. I was like, I don't want to do that to my skin. So we'd fully clean them off every two weeks. And then within those two weeks, it would take about 30 minutes to reapply.

How many tattoos do you have?

It's between 13 and 17.

Do you have a favorite?

I like my Hobbes on my biceps. It was my first tattoo, and it's based on my favorite books growing up, Calvin and Hobbes. I was always told I was Calvin because I was a little shit, and so I was like, “Okay, well, I'll get my imaginary best friend tattooed on my arm.”

Richie LubatonHere's a fun one: Are you a naturally talented bird caller? Was that actually you making that loon call in the episode?

I eventually got one. They did not use it because they got a professional loon caller. I already knew how to loon call a little bit, but I'm not sure the loons thought it was up to par.

In a recent interview, you mentioned wanting to cut your hair. But in season two, canonically, Shane has long hair in The Long Game. Are you being asked to grow your hair out?

No, I just took that on myself because they're like, “long hair, long hair,” and I do like my face with long hair. I just didn't have it before I started shooting this. So I had to go with whatever that haircut was. I even had a mullet before I started shooting, and they were like, “Shane would not have a mullet. Cut this shit off.” I'm very excited to grow it out, but you will never catch me in a fucking man bun, that's for sure. I know Shane has one. If they try to tie this thing up, I will break fingers. But longer hair for sure.

Longer, but no man bun. Got it.

No, I'll throw up in my mouth.

Ilya and Shane on the way to the cottage in the season finale Sabrina LantosHere's a fun stat I saw on the @DataButMakeItFashion account: hockey jerseys have been 70 percent more popular on average over the last two months. How do you feel about hockey jerseys as a fashion statement?

As far as jerseys go, they are one of the better ones. They're long. But as a fashion statement? There's a time and place, and it's at a hockey game. And if you're not, take that ugly thing off your body.

In episode five, Shane famously got a stylist, and now you have a stylist in real life. What are some conversations you're having with your stylist?

Usually, it's reference-based. I have a wide palette of different celebrities I like. We say like, “Maybe here I could do a Tyler, The Creator thing. Maybe we could work towards that. Maybe here we do like a Jacob Elordi thing, or John F. Kennedy Jr., or Princess Diana.” We got, like, Zoe Kravitz. There's just a lot of pulls that I like.

We've seen you wear rings, chokers, transparent gloves, lots of bracelets, and necklaces. Are you really drawn to accessories?

I love accessories. I sometimes just like garish looks, you know, with just a little frippery and fun. It's just another way to express yourself, and it doesn't have to be too serious. There's this one Brad Pitt photo shoot, I think for Fight Club, where he has these slutty little gloves, and he's in a pink dress. And I always thought that was the coolest photo shoot I'd ever seen. I just like fun.

Have you bought any pieces of jewelry lately?

Yeah, I've found some more rings and necklaces, and I need to up my bracelet game. That's what I need next.

Maybe something to commemorate the end of the show...

And a grill! I'm gonna get a grill. I've always loved a grill, and I want to get a cute little top rack.

Who was your style icon growing up?

Damn. When I'm thinking like a classic man, I like [Ryan] Gosling. Then, growing up, I liked Rihanna. She was in touch with her sexuality, but she could still do high fashion. And then I just love Old Hollywood. You know, you have your suit on; you have a cigar in one hand, a good scotch in the other. And then A$AP Rocky, too. I think he was always a touchstone. Whatever he does, he's never done something wrong.

What is your dream fashion show invite? Because I'm sure you'll be getting some...

For brands, I like Rick Owens. That would be pretty cool. Raf Simons. There's a lot.

I'm sure we'll see you at Fashion Week. Did you steal anything from the set of the show?

Yeah, I stole a lot. I stole jerseys. I stole my Montreal Metro sweater. I didn't steal enough, though. I was gonna ask for some of the things I wanted. I wanted Ilya's tiger shirt. It's so offensive, but just so loud. I kind of love it. I always steal makeup shirts, which are the shirts they make you put on your costume so you don't get concealer shit on your wardrobe. And a lot of times they're like cool, oversized shirts. So I'd be stealing all of them. A black hoodie—because Dustin Hoffman wore it. And they're like, “This was Dustin Hoffman's makeup hoodie.” And I was like, “You're never getting this back.” It was like Old Navy or the Gap. But I was like, “I'm touching Rain Man when I touch this jacket.”

Let's talk about the obsession, the level of community here for Heated Rivalry. People are getting stomachaches and nausea from excitement about the show. Fans are more excited about this episode than Christmas. I know you're a comic book fan, but do you have any other current or long-standing hyper-fixations? What are you a longtime fan of?

Ooh, I would say directors are the first thing that comes to mind. There's this YouTube channel I like called Blind Dweller, and he delves into really weird painters. There's a painter I really like, called Ken Currie. There's another artist called Aleksandra Waliszewska. But usually those are rabbit holes I go down of like, "If I had money, I would just buy their whole collection." And then usually, filmmakers that I like. I'm excited for whatever Julia Ducournau does next. She's someone who I'm always going to see.

Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams at the premiere of Heated Rivalry in Toronto. Harold Feng - Getty Images

What do you hope people obsess over next, or redirect their energy and excitement to, as we wait for season two?

Post-Heated Rivalry? Damn—maybe just whatever Jacob Tierney is doing and whatever Connor Storrie is doing next. If they hyper-fixate on those two careers, they're going to constantly be rewarded because those two just put so much care and love into whatever they do. They have a lot more in them that I don't think people have seen with Heated Rivalry.

The show is really blowing up because of the superfans, the TikTok editors, the Tweeters, the meme makers. What do you want to say to them in this moment of the finale?

I heard a statistic that between week one and week two, there was, I think, a 600 percent increase in viewers. And I really think the TikTok editors, especially, were on one. I don't know how old those people are, or who taught them how to edit that well, but it's so impressive. They're free trailer editors and doing it on their own dime. I am very grateful, because a lot of times I'll see an edit or, like a Tweet, and it'll make me fall in love with a different part of the show that I overlooked.

What does happily ever after look like for you right now?

Right now, there's a lot of clout and sort of trendiness around the show. I believe in the brilliance of the show, but I don't want to be that guy who played that one character. I have always wanted to be a character actor, a performer, someone who's tasked with something that seems like, “Oh, surely he can't do that,” and they come out and succeed. So if I'm in touch with the filmmakers I admire, and the ones I don't like stay away from me, then I would be really happy.

You've mentioned a couple of filmmakers. For 2026, who is the one person you hope ends up in your email inbox?

There are a lot. Julia Ducournau. Joachim Trier, who just did Sentimental Value, if I got to work with him—holy shit. Céline Sciamma, who did Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Petite Maman. Park Chan-wook, if he comes back and does another English-language film, which he's been doing. Yorgos Lanthimos, if he does something really fucking strange, I'd be very grateful. And then if Darren Aronofsky does his original shit, where he's making people go through the worst experience a human has ever had? Then please make me live the worst life possible.

For the fans and the romance community, once they watch that last scene and the credits are rolling, what do you hope they take from it?

There is a very fervent, loving community around you. No matter how alienated you feel, there are loving arms ready to hold you. Whether that's your direct family, or those are some new friends you'll make, or people across borders that you don't even know, but that would be willing to take you in and love you for who you are—that exists, that's not a fairy tale, that's not fantasy, that's just what you deserve.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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