What to know
- Kaden Connors credits intimacy coordinators and choreography for ensuring on-set comfort during heated scenes with Connor Storrie.
- Portraying Sasha allowed Connors to explore Queer identity and portray the community on mainstream TV.
- Connors is proud Heated Rivalry centers Queer characters and moves beyond stereotypes, giving representation real depth.
- Looking ahead to season two, Connors hopes for flashbacks that revisit Sasha’s connection with Ilya.
From acting in a standout Queer TV drama to navigating intimate scenes on-set with Connor Storrie, Heated Rivalry’s Kaden Connors (aka Sasha) spills on what really went down behind the scenes and what the show means to him.
Vancouver-born actor based in Toronto, Kaden Connors, has appeared in the first season of Heated Rivalry and in the Queer coming-of-age black comedy Lunar Sway.
The Queer hockey drama Heated Rivalry is based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novel series, where Connors plays Sasha, the main character Ilya Rozanov’s childhood friend and former lover.
Given Crave’s hit show’s popularity, Connors spilled the tea on what it meant to him to be a part of such a production, and gave Now Toronto the tea on what happened during the steamy scenes on set.
Read More
- Kaden Connors and Liza Weil on ‘Lunar Sway,’ which spotlights Queer love, desert secrets, and unapologetic misfits
- Sex, hockey, and romance: Why everyone is obsessed with Crave’s ‘Heated Rivalry’
- ‘Heated Rivalry’s’ Hudson Williams reveals professional athletes have been coming out to him via email
- ‘Best show on television,’ Heated Rivalry season two is coming: here’s when fans can expect it
- ‘The best antidote to hate,’ Heated Rivalry showrunner Jacob Tierney on the importance of Queer joy and representation
‘Always a fun trope’: Connors on playing Sasha in Heated Rivalry
Playing Rozanov’s childhood friend and former lover meant playing around the “secret past” trope in his prep work as an actor, Connors shared.
“I got to kind of imagine in my prep work as an actor what was the story that isn’t told about these two boys in their past, and kind of dive into that and make some choices,” he told Now Toronto. “It’s a pretty electric sort of relationship where they have this sort of secret past together, so that’s always a fun trope to play with.”
But portraying Sasha in Heated Rivalry was more than just a fun role for Connors — it meant Queer representation.
“He’s rich on the surface level and very much a party boy who just wants to go have fun, no strings attached… So, he’s definitely representative of that culture that can take over a lot of Queer people’s lives and become their entire identity,” Connors said. “I think that’s representative of what Illya was trying to leave. He’s walking away and starting new with his life in North America, away from Russia.”
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How did Connors handle the steamy, intimate scenes?
Imagine standing so close to Connor Storrie, playing the dreamy, mysterious Ilya Rozanov… For Connors, that was reality during his intimate scenes with his colleague.
“Professionalism is key,” Connors said.
He shared that there’s an intimacy coordinator on set that ensures the actors are comfortable while the director is getting his vision shot.
“It’s kind of just like a dance. It’s choreography. You get to know what’s gonna happen, but still have the playroom to, if the moment calls for it, you’re still finding that chemistry with the other actor,” he shared.
‘This is the Queer love story’: What it means for Connors to act in Heated Rivalry
As a Queer individual and an actor, Connors shared that being part of Heated Rivalry is a meaningful project.
“Both personally and professionally, it’s something I believe in… seeing Queer rights and the freedoms of people being able to live their lives how they want to live them without shame and judgement,” he said.
“So being a part of something like this, where I’m a professional actor, and I get to jump into a world where this is helping people change the world for the better and feel seen… It’s incredible,” Connors added.
Connors emphasizes that Heated Rivalry allows Queer love to be seen without the stereotypes.
“I’m very proud to be part of it. I think they work a lot of stereotypes, where you often see Queer characters are kind of thrown in as these side characters or these tropes that are classic and easily digestible, but it’s wonderful to see that this is the Queer love story. They’re the main characters,” he shared.
Connors says that this more accurate portrayal of Queer love and the showing that they can be main characters on mainstream TV “helps people feel seen,” and that they “deserve just as much of a spotlight as everyone else.”
Especially seeing Queer love in such a “traditionally-masculine sport.”
“It’s incredible to see the soft side of something so masculine. It’s beautiful,” Connors said.
‘My lips are sealed, but…’: Connors’ hopes for the show’s second season
Connors shares his hopes ahead of Heated Rivalry’s second season, expected in April 2027.
“My lips are sealed, but I think it’s amazing to witness them set up for season two… The thing about Heated Rivalry is no matter how much you were involved in it, where you come in or out, whatever the project looks like, you were there. You’re a part of it. Heated Rivalry lives on,” Connors said.
“It’s one of those things that’s made its impact. The amount of people who say this is something that’s gonna stay with them for the rest of their life. It lives; it exists. I’m excited for everything, season two and beyond,” he added.
As the actor who played Sasha, Connors hopes to see flashbacks or realities in which he might reunite with his former lover, Ilya.
“There’s so much you can do with it,” he said.
Only time will tell…
