Every steamy scene in Heated Rivalry tells the story of Shane and Ilya’s enemies-to-lovers romance, where small touches, microexpressions, and names gasped in the throes of passion communicate where the players are in their decade-long relationship. And naturally, they’re closer than ever in “The Cottage.”
The season finale finds the pair luxuriating in a cozy lakefront getaway, and it’s here that Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie (who play Shane and Ilya, respectively) improvised one of the show’s most memorable intimate scenes.
A Dreamy Distraction
To briefly recap: Shane and Ilya are in the middle of a hockey video game (playing each other’s teams, adorably) when Shane gets a call from his best friend and teammate, Hayden.
Shane tries to focus on Hayden, who’s sharing a life update — he’s just welcomed another baby with his wife, Jackie — but Ilya has other plans, performing oral sex on Shane, who struggles to maintain his composure on the phone.
If you’ve read Rachel Reid’s novel Heated Rivalry (part of the Game Changers series on which the show is based), you know that this playful scene plays out on page, too. And both the TV and book versions end with Ilya telling Shane he liked the risky multitasking because he likes to “be bad,” before Shane assures him their relationship is rooted in something much deeper.
But as Williams recently shared with Variety, certain elements of the blowjob scene were improvised by the actors themselves.
Shane & Ilya’s Physical Banter
As Williams practiced his side of the scene in the show’s makeup trailer, Storrie had the idea for them to start “hitting each other, goofing off,” Williams recalled.
“And he did this slap,” he continued, seemingly referring to the moment Ilya — deeply focused on the task at hand — taps Shane’s face while buried in his lap. “I was filming myself on my phone doing this. I was like, ‘Do that again.’ I couldn’t hold in my laughter because it was so brilliant. It’s so funny, and it makes sense for where they’re at in the story.”
Indeed, Shane and Ilya’s physical back-and-forth makes the scene hilarious and natural. As Ilya grabs for Shane’s face and Shane tries to push him away so he doesn’t get too lost in the moment, it’s clear these two know (and love) each other well enough to horse around a little.
Williams showed the clip to the Heated Rivalry intimacy coordinator, Chala Hunter. “She was cackling,” he recalled. “She’s like, ‘You have to do that.’”
Creator Jacob Tierney was equally enthusiastic, telling the actors to “go crazy,” Williams said. “The first take was the first time I broke broke because Connor is taking all the liberties. I am shoving him. I’m slapping him back. I’m putting the phone away to get in the gasps and moans. I’m so happy with how that scene turned out.”
