Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams opens up on navigating Beatlemania-like crowds: 'Sort of exha...

&34;I'm trying to slap myself whenever I go to complain, but that doesn't change the fact it's really difficult,&34; Williams admitted. Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams opens up on navigating Beatlemanialike crowds: 'Sort of exhausting' &34;I'm trying to slap myself whenever I go to complain, but that doesn't change the fact it's really difficult,&34; Williams admitted. By Mekishana Pierre :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/MekishanaPierreauthorphotoed08906b8105488ca1e991de8ac00dec.jpg) Mekishana Pierre Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at . She has been working at EW since 2025.

"I'm trying to slap myself whenever I go to complain, but that doesn't change the fact it's really difficult," Williams admitted.

Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams opens up on navigating Beatlemania-like crowds: 'Sort of exhausting'

"I'm trying to slap myself whenever I go to complain, but that doesn't change the fact it's really difficult," Williams admitted.

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on *Entertainment Tonight* and Popsugar.

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January 20, 2026 2:06 p.m. ET

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Hudson Williams at the Giorgio Armani fashion show on Jan. 19, 2026. Credit:

Alessandro Levati/Getty

No one is more aware of his growing star power than Hudson Williams himself.

During an appearance on Evan Ross Katz's *Shut Up Evan* podcast, the *Heated Rivalry* star opened up about becoming a seemingly overnight success thanks to the intense response to the Crave-made series about rival professional hockey players in a secret romance.

"It doesn't feel like anything you could prepare for," the 24-year-old actor said of becoming the focus of massive fan attention. "It's a different existence now, not based on worth or whatever quality of human. But it's a different life."

Hudson Williams during Milan Fashion Week on Jan. 17, 2026.

Andrea Cremascoli/Getty

He continued, "And when you see these people, like when you see the Beatles, when you see BTS, there's an element of 'that's not another human that's a celebrity,' which exists in this weird definition that is very abstract. I thought I could empathize with it, but I couldn't fully feel what they were going through until now. And now it's just brought this wave of sympathy because it's not easy."

Williams, who has been vocal about having worked as a server at an Old Spaghetti Factory in Canada shortly before he booked his breakout role, and his *Heated Rivalry *costar Connor Storrie have become viral sensations since the show's premiere on HBO Max late last year. The massive response from fans has led to a swift season 2 renewal and turned its stars into the It men of the moment.

When the Canadian star made his late-night debut on *The* *Tonight Show* on Jan. 7, his appearance sparked a frenzy that shocked even its longtime host. Fans posted footage on social media showing throngs of fans gathering overnight for a chance to see Williams.

Hudson Williams during an interview with host Jimmy Fallon on Jan. 7, 2026.

Todd Owyoung/NBC

While chatting with ** after the episode, Jimmy Fallon called it "one of the hottest audiences we've ever had," saying that he'd "put it up there with BTS or Harry Styles. I mean, they went bonkers."

Williams emphasized that he's grateful for the support from fans, but explained to Katz that the attention can be overwhelming.

"Although it feels good that people admire your work, it's— we can go to pockets of places I never thought we would be found and we're still pulled aside for a photo," Williams shared. "You have to look nice because you can't just roll out in sweatpants, which I used to always do, and just look awful. There's all these things that are just sort of exhausting."

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The actor admitted that he wants "to just have a sort of semblance of privacy," as he tries to adapt to the "weird balance" that comes with the level of fame. "I can't possibly sign everyone's thing, talk to everyone, and I can't steal away 'cause then also there's an element of selfishness," Williams pointed out, explaining that his posse isn't just people who ride around with him, but professionals with their own agendas.

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"If I were to stay and sign everything, the security — they have other jobs to do," he noted. "They have to take other people into the building, they have to get off the clock. My publicist needs to get somewhere. My agents need to get somewhere. It can become a selfish act, not a generous one, to [try] and meet everyone. So it's a weird balance, and there's so much minutia that I never could possibly imagine exists in this world of celebrity.'

Despite how overwhelmed he often felt, Williams asserted that he was grateful for the position *Heated Rivalry* and its "well-intended" fans had gotten him to.

"It's hard to complain about because for a long time I've been a cliché of an actor, you know, struggling server, paycheck to paycheck, just desperate for any role, let alone a good one," he said when asked about being in a place of opportunity. "I was just talking with one of my agents yesterday, and she said, Connor and I have had to learn what a lot of actors get in 5 years in like 30 days."

Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams on 'Heated Rivalry'.

Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max

Williams and Storrie aren't the only stars from the show who have had to process the show's success in real time. François Arnaud, who plays hockey star Scott Hunter opposite Robbie G.K.'s barista boyfriend Kip, previously expressed how he needed to step back from social media for his own sanity.

"I'm struggling to sleep, actually. It's a lot," he said in an early December interview. "I have to like delete my Instagram. It's just too much for me."

Series creator Jacob Tierney was of similar mind when he spoke to EW late last year. "I don't know what I expected, but it was not this. It's so great," Tierney said at the time. "I'm very grateful and I'm very thrilled. In terms of engagement, if I'm being honest, I try not to engage that much and kind of let this happen. Hopefully the more interesting conversations about the show will happen once it's all aired and you can see what it was doing from the beginning."

Watch part 1 of Hudson Williams' appearance on the *Shut Up Evan* podcast above. Part 2 is scheduled to be released on Jan. 27.**

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Source: Podcasts

Published: January 23, 2026 at 02:57PM on Source: MORNING MAG

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