Plenty of HBO shows got the world talking, and those with a HBO Max subscription were recently treated to another megahit: Jacob Tierney's Heated Rivalry. The book to screen adaptation went viral shortly after its premiere, thanks to its touching LGBTQ+ narrative and those steamy sex scenes. It's also made the cast into household names, and Shane Hollander actor Hudson Williams recently spoke about that overwhelming attention, and trying to set healthy boundaries with fans.
I was hyped when Heated Rivalry gave queer fans their own smutty show, but its popularity has expanded past the community and into the mainstream. The internet is pretty obsessed with both Ilya actor Connor Storrie and Williams, including discourse about their sexualities IRL. While speaking with CNN about the show's success, the latter actor got honest about the "crazy" nature of his sudden fame. In his words:
