'Heated Rivalry' star Hudson Williams shares Shane Hollander’s favourite films

Hudson Williams has revealed which films he believes would top the list of his Heated Rivalry character Shane Hollander’s favourite movies, with a well-known romantic comedy taking first place.

Responding to a question on Letterboxd’s Instagram account asking fans to suggest favourite films for Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, Williams joined the discussion himself.

He said his character’s top choice would be When Harry Met Sally, the romantic comedy starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. Referencing the film’s famous diner scene, Williams wrote, “I'll have what she's having.”

Williams also named Pixar’s 2008 animated film Wall-E as another favourite, describing a pattern in Shane’s imagined taste for romantic stories. He added The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and the 1956 western epic The Searchers to the list.

An honourable mention was given to the coming-of-age drama Moonlight, with Williams commenting that his reasoning was “Issa secret.” Co-star Connor Storrie has not publicly shared suggestions for Ilya Rozanov’s film preferences.

Heated Rivalry is based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novel series and follows Shane and Ilya, professional ice hockey rivals whose relationship develops in secret.

The series debuted in November and went on to become Canadian streamer Crave’s most-watched original series to date. It also recorded HBO Max’s strongest debut for an acquired, non-animated title since 2019. The show was renewed for a second season earlier this month.

Season two will continue to centre on Shane and Ilya’s relationship and is expected to draw from The Long Game, another novel in Reid’s series. All episodes of season one are currently available to stream on HBO Max in the United States.