At a Glance
- Connor Storrie was a waiter when cast as Ilya Rozanov in Heated Rivalry
- He received a final warning from restaurant management hours before booking the role
- The series, shot in just over a month in mid-2025, has been renewed for season two
- Why it matters: His overnight leap from service job to breakout star shows how quickly streaming hits can reshape careers
Connor Storrie’s life flipped in a single shift. On Jan. 7, 2026, the actor celebrated Coco Crush at a CHANEL dinner, but eight months earlier he was carrying trays and bracing for unemployment.
From Final Warning to First Big Break
Storrie, 25, told the Today show on Jan. 14 he had spent eight years in restaurants. That morning he messed up a table so badly management read the scathing review aloud to the entire staff during pre-shift. “They were like, ‘I need everyone to hear this, to know it’s not up to our standard,'” he recalled.
The result: a last-warning write-up that put his job on the line. On his break he glanced at his phone and saw a missed call. It was the offer to play Ilya Rozanov in Heated Rivalry.
Shoot, Stream, Sensation
Cameras rolled for just over a month in mid-2025. The adaptation of Rachel Reid’s hockey-romance novel landed on HBO Max and quickly outgrew its built-in book audience. “I was fully prepared for nothing to really come of this,” Storrie told Interview Magazine in December 2025. “Anything on top of that is a total blessing, cherry on top of the cake. And it just keeps getting bigger and bigger.”
Costar Hudson Williams, who plays rival-turned-lover Shane Hollander, agreed the response has been “shocking.”
Season Two Already Locked
Dec. 12, 2025 brought an early renewal. Reid, who also announced upcoming novel Unrivaled continuing Ilya and Shane’s story, told News Of Los Angeles: “I can’t tell you how much the love my characters have received over the years means to me. It has been a blast writing these guys again.”
Key Takeaways
- Storrie’s restaurant reprimand and casting call happened the same day
- The rapid shoot schedule underscores how streamers compress production timelines
- Strong viewer demand secured a sophomore season before year-end
- Reid’s next book ensures content synergy for future episodes
Heated Rivalry is now streaming on HBO Max.
