Heated Rivalry Season 2 Casts Troy & Harris From Role Model Book

Published Aug 7, 2026, 1:05 PM EDT Rianna is the Movie News Editor for ScreenRant. After earning her BA in Film Studies, she began her career as an entertainment writer, contributing to several publications before joining ScreenRant. Her dissertation on the impact of streaming on traditional cinema sharpened her focus on the ever-evolving world of film and media. With 10 years in the industry, Rianna continues to cover the stories she loves while also advocating for awareness and representation of rare disabilities, such as Moebius Syndrome, which she lives with. Heated Rivalry is getting even hotter. The romance that has taken over the world, Heated Rivalry, came from the novel series by Rachel Reid. What initially was released as a small-budget series has transformed into a global powerhouse and reached well over 324 million minutes streamed. The queer romance took over social media with thousands of fan edits, and the two main stars, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, were propelled into international stardom. Justice Smith (known for I Saw the TV Glow) and Charlie Gillespie (known for One Night Only) have officially joined Crave and HBO Max's Heated Rivalry season 2 and will be joining Williams and Storrie in leading roles. Series creator Jacob Tierney and producer Brendan Brady released a statement on the latest news, including why Smith and Gillespie are the perfect fit for the new additions: "Rachel Reid has given us two beautifully layered characters in Harris and Troy who you can’t help but root for. From the start of the casting process, we knew we were looking for actors who could create something truly special together and bring that same depth and heart to the screen. Justice and Charlie do exactly that. They immediately connected with the vulnerability and resilience at the core of these characters, bringing an instinctive understanding of who Harris and Troy are." Smith is said to be playing the role of Harris Drover and Gillespie will be portraying Troy Barrett. These two characters are major players in the love story between Russian hockey star Ilya Rozanov (played by Storrie) and Canadian hockey player Shane Hollander (played by Williams). Troy is a troubled hockey player for the Ottawa Centaurs and Harris is the social media manager for the team. Their story is very much the grumpy vs. sunshine trope with a redemption arc that will surely make people swoon. More to come...