Were Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie Turned On by Their Steamy 'Heated Rivalry' Scenes? Intimacy Coach Weighs In

Since its debut in the latter part of 2025, the hockey romance series 'Heated Rivalry' has emerged as a worldwide phenomenon, with its leads, Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, gaining recognition. The show's steamy scenes, one of the reasons for its popularity, are one of the reasons its intimacy coordinator weighs in on whether actors get genuinely aroused on set.

'Heated Rivalry' intimacy coordinator Chala Hunter spoke with Elle on the show's steamy scenes, which have since gone viral online. The show, based on author Rachel Reid's books, centres on two rival hockey players, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, and the romantic relationship that begins between them.

Do Actors Get Aroused Filming Sex Scenes?

Hunter shared how the sex scenes are filmed and how she deals with actors who may genuinely get stimulated during filming. Hunter explained that it's actually normal for actors to get aroused while shooting intimate scenes.

'I make that a part of my introductory conversations. It's important to say that the body sometimes doesn't know the difference,' said Hunter. 'We're also just human beings who are made up of muscle tissue and nerve endings.'

Hunter then explained what she tells actors to do in such situations. 'I always break it down like that and say, if you need to call a pause for any reason, including if you become unintentionally aroused, or you just need to adjust something because the placement isn't working for you, or because you have to pee, do it,' said Hunter. 'Actors are so afraid of doing the wrong thing or of hurting their fellow actor or of crossing a boundary. Everyone is so deeply concerned about everyone else's well-being, I name it so that people don't feel like they've done something horribly wrong.'

Hunter also emphasised the importance of actors letting their colleagues know they can pause filming. 'If you think that might be happening to your partner and you feel uncomfortable, you can also call for a pause,' said Hunter.

The Intimacy Process on 'Heated Rivalry'

When it came to the intimacy scenes, Hunter shared how she helped Williams and Storrie develop the relationship between their characters. She revealed that the process was far more 'technical' compared to what audiences ultimately see on screen.

'My whole goal was to create a level of clarity and specificity for both of them so that everyone could feel comfortable in order to feel artistically free,' she shared. 'I did that through making sure we were all on the exact same page about what was going to happen. What are the emotional stakes in that moment? What are the given circumstances? Where are we in time? Where are we in the arc of these two characters' relationship together?'

'It certainly doesn't look technical to me. It looks emotional and free. But when we're setting these scenes up, it's incredibly technical,' said Hunter. 'I think Connor may have said this in one interview: It's not ultimately that sexy. It's quite challenging sometimes for you to do it correctly.'

The Significance of the Explicit Scenes

Prior to sharing how they handled the steamy scenes, Hunter revealed her reaction to finding out they were going to do explicit scenes. 'I was like, "Oh, we're being very specific and fairly explicit here," but to be honest, I found it refreshing and different,' she shared.

'The scenes are written very specifically as they are in the book and Jacob really laid out the action in the script,' Hunter continued. 'Portraying queer joy and queer sex and not insinuating or implying it on screen is rare. Celebrating queer sex, queer joy, and queer love—it isn't really portrayed that much in media. The sex is such a big part of the emotional, physical, and psychological journey that these characters go through. It's true to human experience.'