The Real Reason Connor Storrie Isn’t at the Oscars with Hudson Williams Finally Revealed
Jason Pham
Heated Rivalry‘s Hudson Williams made his Oscars debut at the 2026 Academy Awards, but where was his co-star, Connor Storrie?
Williams walked the red carpet at the 98th Academy Awards in an all-black Balenciaga suit with gold accessories, including a snake watch, brooch, and gold hoops. One accessory not by his side; however, was Storrie.
Why is Connor Storrie not at the Oscars?
It’s speculated that Storrie, who plays Ilya Rozanov in Heated Rivalry, wasn’t at the Oscars because he’s set to film his upcoming A24 movie, Peaked, soon in New Jersey. The film, which also stars Laura Dern, Simone Ashley, Molly Gordon, Emma Mackey, and Gabby Windey, is a comedy about “two girls who traumatized you in high school as they try to relive their glory days at their 10-year reunion,” according to Deadline.
News broke that Storrie was in talks for a role in the film in February 2026, which is when the movie was setto start filming. While Storrie wasn’t at the Oscars, he did attend the Actor Awards earlier this month, as well as hosted Saturday Night Live.
At the Oscars, Williams, who plays Shane Hollander in Heated Rivalry, was asked by Variety and CNN about what he could say about Heated Rivalry Season 2, and he had a one-word response: “Sex.” When the stunned interviewer asked Williams to repeat his answer, he repeated, “Sex.” “I heard it loud and clear,” the second interviewer responded.
At the GLAAD Media Awards in March 2026, Heated Rivalry creator Jacob Tierney confirmed to Variety that Season 2 was “still on track” to film in the summer. “I’m in a room all day writing,” Tierney said. “We’re still on track.” He also addressed the pressure of trying to live up to the success of Season 1. “I think I realized a little while ago that what I have to do is go back to where my head was at the first time I wrote, which was love these books and try to make the smartest thing I can make of it,” he said.
He also confirmed that he’ll stay “faithful” to Rachel Reid’s Game Changers book series, which Heated Rivalry is based on. “I’m not going to bail on that now,” he said. Heated Rivalry, which aired on Crave in Canada and HBO Max in the United States, followed rival professional hockey players, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, as they fell in love throughout a decade-long affair.
After Season 2 was announced, both Miley Cyrus and Carly Rae Jepsen expressed interest in contributing music to the show’s soundtrack. “I have no comment,” Tierney told Variety when asked about who was on board to record music for the second season. “What I will say is there’s a lot of music on the show, so there’s room for everybody.”
