New Couple on 'Heated Rivalry' S2 to Be Played by Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie
The second season will follow two couples as filming begins and the series adapts Rachel Reid’s Role Model alongside The Long Game.
- On Friday, August 7, 2026, Crave announced that actors Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie have joined the cast of Heated Rivalry in leading roles for the series' upcoming second season.
- Based on Rachel Reid's Game Changers book series, Smith will portray Harris Drover, the Ottawa team's social media manager, while Gillespie plays forward Troy Barrett from the novel Role Model.
- Production for the second season began earlier this week in Canada, with returning stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie reprising their roles as hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov.
- Showrunner Jacob Tierney and executive producer Brendan Brady stated the pair "immediately connected with the vulnerability and resilience" required for the characters, bringing an instinctive understanding to their performances.
- Aiming for a Spring 2027 release, the production has urged fans to "give our cast and crew the space they need to do what they do best," promising the wait will be worthwhile.
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Actors Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie join 'Heated Rivalry' season two
Queer actor Justice Smith and Canadian actor/musician Charlie Gillespie have been announced in major roles for the second season of the smash-hit series Heated Rivalry. Smith, who starred in Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw The TV Glow and alongside Pokemon in Detective Pikachu, will join Ilya Rozanov’s (Connor Storrie) new team the Ottawa Centaurs as their social media manager with a big personality, Harris Drover. Known for his role as Luke Patterson i…
'Heated Rivalry’ season 2: Charlie Gillespie and Justice Smith join the cast of the hit series
In an exciting development for fans, Charlie Gillespie and Justice Smith will join the cast of the popular queer hockey romance series for its upcoming season, playing Troy Barrett and Harris Drover. As production progresses, viewers can anticipate the continuation of the poignant relationship between Shane and Ilya, along with the return of favorite characters Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie.
'Heated Rivalry' Features Justice Smith, Charlie Gillespie
Get latest articles and stories on Entertainment at LatestLY. Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie have been roped in for the second season of 'Heated Rivalry'. Entertainment News | 'Heated Rivalry' Features Justice Smith, Charlie Gillespie.
Heated Rivalry season 2 casting sparks body diversity debate
What to know Heated Rivalry’s long-awaited second season just dropped its cast list, and while some fans are thrilled, others are raising concerns about the... The post ‘Erasing Harris’s stocky, bear body?’: ‘Heated Rivalry’ season 2 casting sparks representation debate appeared first on NOW Toronto.
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