By Joanna Orland at TIFF 2026
Coinciding with the TIFF premiere of his new series Yaga, Hudson Williams took part in an intimate conversation as part of TIFF’s Next Wave initiative, which showcases young and emerging talent. Hudson discussed his upbringing in British Columbia, where he attended a school for the performing arts and later graduated from the Langara College Film Arts program, where he spent his time making films with a collective of friends and collaborators.
His dreams of becoming a working professional actor were more than realized after his breakout role as Shane Hollander in last year’s mega-hit Heated Rivalry. Working predominantly in the Canadian film and television industries, Hudson reflected on his career to date, with a profound pride in finding his most interesting work at home in Canada.
Hudson Williams Is a Homegrown Talent
“American with manners?”
As a born-and-bred BC boy, Hudson Williams reaffirms that he’s Canadian with the projects he chooses and his Canuck sensibility. Through his use of language, outlook on life, and view on the neighbours next door, Hudson comes across as even more “Canadian” than the Canadian hockey player he plays on TV!
“I’m in underwear and a dog collar…”
At the Making Waves With… Hudson Williams interview, Hudson looked back on the student short films he made with his friends, particularly one piece called Dogging. The central premise of Dogging involves people who rent themselves out to role-play as dogs for pet-free apartment dwellers. And yes, it is as ridiculous as it sounds. In the clip shown, Hudson was in nothing but his underwear and a dog collar, on all fours while playing a dog. As irreverent and kinky as it sounds, he showed early signs of stardom, displaying an array of emotions with merely a glance. Much like the layers beneath the silence he portrays in every sultry look as Shane Hollander, even as a young student, Hudson was a mesmerizing performer.
Hudson Williams Keeps Choosing Canadian Content
“’Yaga’ and ‘Apparatus’ were just two of the coolest things that came in, and so it was just sort of like a no-brainer to simultaneously choose good projects and get to also be in Canada.”
Like Heated Rivalry is unabashedly a Canadian television show, Hudson’s next two projects are also Canadian productions. First, there is Yaga, an upcoming Crave Original series that explores a horror mystery as it unravels. He also stars in the upcoming independent feature Apparatus, where he plays a quite unique-sounding character, alongside his co-star Dylan O’Brien.
“It was, I think, the hardest character for me to hang up when I was done. I had my black strap shoes, my little shitty jacket, my gross little pants, my greasy hair – everything was so bad, but I was so sad to hang that guy up because it was so fun to play.”
The ‘Heated Rivalry’ of It All
“It’s weird that our memory of playing Season 1 isn’t just our true memory of showing up and doing the scenes, it’s having watched them cut together, it’s fan reactions – our memory isn’t ours, it’s everyone’s.”
Of course, Hudson Williams talked about his work on Heated Rivalry – there would have been a riot had he not. In fact, the book’s author, Rachel Reid, was in the audience at the Making Waves With… event and submitted a question to Hudson regarding his return as Shane Hollander for Season 2 of the hit series.
As the phenomenon of Heated Rivalry has very much taken on a life of its own since the series premiered in November 2025, Hudson reflected on the journey back to Shane. As he and Connor Storrie have recently returned to their roles as Shane and Ilya, respectively, both actors found it difficult to pick up where they left off – wondering if they were doing an impression of their characters, or if their performances had been altered by the extreme fan enthusiasm directed at the show.
“He’s just too in love with this man, and he just needs his touch too fucking much that he can’t stand up for himself.”
Hudson discussed specific scene work from Season 1 of Heated Rivalry. He went into depth about the pivotal coming-out scene with Rose (Sophie Nelisse), sharing what he tried to express beneath Shane’s quiet, repressed silence. He spoke at length about Shane’s quiet demeanour, and the layers underneath his stern facade. From being too much in love to hiding in fear from what he really feels, much was felt by Hudson as he played the beloved hockey hero.
Hudson Williams May Have Been the Star Attraction, but the Fans Were Also There for the Fandom
“Stop objectifying him.”
There is clearly a strong overlap between Hudson Williams fans and the legion of Swifties. As the primarily female millennial crowd waited in line, they shared with each other photos from the red carpet, stickers, friendship bracelets, and social handles. There was a strong sense of community, as Heated Rivalry fans are a fervent bunch, reminiscing about everything from Season 1 to talking about their thoughts and theories regarding Season 2.
Hudson Williams may be a great actor, but he’s also great at connecting with the fans. His Making Waves With… interview felt open and authentic, as he discussed everything from his love of Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight to his work on Heated Rivalry and the seemingly genuine friendship he has with Connor Storrie. He was quite enthusiastic about his work, and spoke in the most Canadian way when expressing this enthusiasm.
Vulgarish language, and the quirky nuances of the Canadian dialect poked through in the most glorious way, only enhancing his authenticity with the primarily Canadian crowd. It must be so bizarre for him to have reached such heights of fame in mere months since his first big role, but he seems to have mastered it just as well as he’s mastered his performance as Shane Hollander.
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