'Heated Rivalry' Star Hudson Williams Snaps at Autograph Dealers Following Him in Paris

Paris Fashion Week is meant to be about tailoring and front-row seating charts, not shouting matches on the pavement. Yet that is exactly what 'Heated Rivalry' star Hudson Williams found himself dealing with this weekend after a group of men he said were stalking him refused to back off.

The 25-year-old Canadian actor, who plays Shane Hollander in the hit HBO Max and Crave series, has spent the past week in Paris for fashion week engagements. Two very different sides of fame awaited him there: one confrontational, one joyfully chaotic, and both now circulating widely online.

Hudson Williams Confronts Autograph Dealers Who Followed Him to His Residence

Footage that began circulating on Sunday shows Williams surrounded by at least two men holding headshots for him to sign. He was, however, not in a friendly mood.

'Guys, you just followed me to my residence,' Williams says in the clip. 'You can't do this. You guys aren't fans, you're being really creepy and you just followed me.'

The actor then snatched one of the unsigned headshots from one of the men and attempted to set it alight with a lighter, though it failed to catch. 'I'm gonna burn this at home,' he said. 'Thank you. Now please, f***ing leave. You're demented. No "sorry." Leave. I wanna watch you hop on your little bike.'

As he walked off, the men trailed behind him, filming the confrontation while offering apologies that did little to defuse the situation. One of the men can be heard saying, 'Sorry to follow you,' which only seemed to irritate Williams further, given that the man kept filming even as he apologised.

The Other Side of Fame: Hudson Williams Greets Fans in Paris

The mood was markedly warmer outside his hotel days earlier, where Williams greeted a crowd of fans with the kind of ease that has made him a favourite on the convention and press circuit.

He asked after the fans' well-being as he made his way through the crowd, signing what he could. When one asked whether he was feeling hot in the summer heat, he replied simply: 'Always.'

The tone shifted when another fan brought up his 'Heated Rivalry' co-star. 'Did you see that Connor got the Emmy nomination?' they asked, referring to Connor Storrie, who plays Ilya Rozanov opposite Williams' Shane Hollander.

'Did he?' Williams replied, visibly caught off guard. When the fan confirmed the news, he gasped: 'Oh my God!'

Why Hudson Williams Says Sudden Fame Feels 'Exhausting'

Williams has spoken candidly about the toll of his rapid rise since 'Heated Rivalry' premiered. Speaking on the 'Shut Up Evan' podcast in January, he admitted the transformation has been difficult to process.

'It doesn't feel like anything you could prepare for,' he said. 'It's a different existence now, not based on worth or whatever quality of human. But it's a different life.'

He drew a comparison to the mania once surrounding the Beatles and, more recently, BTS, admitting that what they went through wasn't easy, drawing parallels to his own sudden rise to fame.

'It's not easy having paparazzi, people constantly [asking for photos]. Although it feels good that people admire your work... We can go to pockets of places I never thought we would be found and we're still pulled aside for a photo,' he continued.

Williams said that while fans are kind, he cannot realistically stop to sign and speak with everyone. He explained that doing so can be unfair to the security staff, publicists and agents who are working around him and need to keep moving.

'Heated Rivalry' became a surprise breakout hit following its November 2025 premiere, with the six-episode series quickly becoming Crave's number-one original debut. Based on Rachel Reid's 2019 novel, the show follows the secret romance between rival hockey players Shane Hollander (Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Storrie).

Production on Season 2 begins in August, adapting Reid's sequel novel 'The Long Game'. Both Williams and Storrie are expected to return, with a premiere currently slated for spring 2027.