Two fresh faces will be appearing in the upcoming season of “Heated Rivalry,” but the casting news for Season 2 has stirred some controversy among fans who were anticipating more accurate representation of body diversity from the books.
Crave announced on Friday that the ensemble of the immensely popular hockey romance series will be broadening in its second season with the addition of Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie.
Gillespie, a talent from New Brunswick and a recent star in the film “One Night Only,” has been selected to portray Troy Barrett, a forward on the Ottawa Centaurs. He was also previously featured in the Netflix series “Julie and the Phantoms,” which was canceled after one season.
Smith, recognized for his roles in “I Saw the TV Glow,” “Pokémon Detective Pikachu,” and “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” is set to play Harris Drover, the Centaurs’ social media manager.
Troy and Harris are the central figures in “Role Model,” the fifth book in Rachel Reid’s “Game Changers” series, on which the show “Heated Rivalry” is based. Crave has confirmed that the second season will continue to follow the main characters from the first season, Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander, while integrating Troy and Harris’s narrative.
Director Jacob Tierney and producer Brendan Brady expressed in the casting announcement, “From the start of the casting process, we knew we were looking for actors who could create something truly special together and bring that same depth and heart to the screen.”
While some fans are enthusiastic about the casting news, others are disappointed with Smith’s portrayal of Harris, believing it missed an opportunity for more inclusivity in representing desirable body types on screen.
On Instagram and TikTok, comments on Crave’s posts about the casting reveal a mix of reactions from fans. Some fans expressed excitement for Justice Smith’s performance, while others voiced their wish for more representation of diverse body types in romantic roles.
The second season is scheduled for release in Spring 2027, with filming already underway. Fans are eagerly following every update, with recent sightings of actors Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams in Toronto creating a buzz among fans, who rushed to purchase a reusable bag carried by Williams.
As production continues, director Jacob Tierney has requested fans to give the cast and crew space at filming locations.