A few months ago, Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams were both working as waiters. Now they are the stars of Heated Rivalry, one of the most talked about shows in the world.
Adapted from a novel by Canadian author Rachel Reid, who writes sexually explicit queer romance novels about hockey players, Heated Rivalry chronicles a forbidden love affair between two rival ice hockey players.
The show was not an obvious runaway hit. It was created and produced in Canada on a minimal budget - reportedly less than C$5m ($3.6m; £2.6m) per episode. Its six episodes were filmed in Ontario in just over a month, with a cast lead mostly by unknowns.
But since its debut in North America last November, Storrie, who plays Russian player Ilya Rozanov, and Williams, who plays Canadian Shane Hollander, have wracked up millions of fans, acting as torchbearers ahead of the Milan winter Olympics and appearing on a host of late-night TV shows.
Storrie is set to host Saturday Night Live at the end of this month, while Williams - who reportedly still lives with his mum in Vancouver - recently shared a stage with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at an Ottawa film industry event.
But its explosion into the zeitgeist since its debut last November has propelled its cast - and the people behind the scenes - into the stratosphere. Its penultimate episode has broken records to tie with Breaking Bad for the highest-rated episode ever on entertainment website IMDB. Now streaming in the UK and across the globe, the show's runaway success has the potential to reshape the television landscape.
Jenny Lewis, one of the casting directors who found Storrie and Williams, stated, We feel like proud mommas. The success of Heated Rivalry highlights the power of unconventional storytelling and representation in media, opening doors for diverse narratives and unknown talents.
With its unyielding popularity, many fans eagerly anticipate the second series, hoping it will continue the legacy and redefine typical casting practices in the industry.
