“Game Changer” author Rachel Reid is unbothered by the early critics of the “Heated Rivalry‘s” upcoming second season.
On Friday, it was revealed that Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie are joining the Season 2 cast of “Heated Rivalry.” Then, later that same day, Reid took to her Instagram story to seemingly dismiss the online chatter about the latest casting news.
“Thinking about all the people last summer who told me the casting for Ilya and Shane was wrong and bad…” Reid wrote on her Instagram Story with a side-eyed selfie.
Smith will play Harris Drover, and Gillespie will play Troy Barrett. Crave Media and HBO Max have not released official character descriptions for either role. However, in Reid’s “Game Changer” book series, Troy is a hockey star who is traded away to an Ottawa team after severing relations with a former Toronto teammate who is accused of sexual assault. Harris is the social media manager for the Ottawa squad, who is determined to help Troy integrate into the team.
Smith and Gillespie will star in “Heated Rivalry” Season 2 alongside series frontman Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, who became overnight sensations in Season 1 as Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander, respectively. Season 1 followed the secret romance of Ilya and Shane, two upcoming hockey superstars and fierce on-ice rivals.
This is not the first time someone from “Heated Rivalry” addressed online negativity from the fandom. Back in March, Williams and co-star François Arnaud posted matching statements to their Instagram stories, telling off viewers who post hate comments on their castmates’ socials.
“Don’t call yourself a fan if you share racist/homophobic/biphobic/misogynist/ageist/ableist/parasocial/bigoted comments of any kind,” read the posts. “None of us need your hateful ‘love.’”