From Hockey Rink to Runways: The Connor Storrie Effect and the Rise of the ‘It’ Boy
Just months ago, Connor Storrie was largely unknown. Today, thanks to his breakout role in the series Heated Rivalry, he’s become one of the most sought-after faces in Hollywood. From serving tables in Los Angeles to front-row status at a Saint Laurent show in Paris, his ascent has been nothing short of meteoric.
The ‘Heated Rivalry’ Spark
It began with a Zoom call. Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter Jacob Tierney, creator of Heated Rivalry (since 2025), asked two young unknowns, Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, to interact via their screens. He uttered only one sentence before cutting his camera, leaving them facing each other: “Go ahead when you’re ready.” The two actors then looked at each other in silence for five seconds. “I remember thinking, this is going to be good,” Connor Storrie confided to Cultured Magazine months ago, recalling that pivotal moment. A single appear sealed the birth of a duo that ignited the streaming world.
In Heated Rivalry, adapted from Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novels and available on Crave and HBO Max since 2025, Connor Storrie, 26, plays Ilya Rozanov, a Russian hockey player locked in a fierce rivalry with Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams), a competition masking a years-long, passionate affair.
To embody a Russian hockey player, the actor quickly learned the basics of the language. He told The Cut he has a knack for foreign languages, and admitted to The Late Show with Seth Meyers: “I tried to learn the Russian alphabet, I listened to a lot of Russian rap and stuff like that, but Russian is really incredibly hard to learn.” He dedicated four hours a day for a month to achieve credibility.
From Server to Screen Star
Initially produced for the Canadian market, Heated Rivalry became a global cultural phenomenon, fueled by word-of-mouth and millions of fan edits on social media. Renewed for a second season slated for 2027, the series unexpectedly launched Storrie into the spotlight.
Born February 22, 2000, in Colorado, Connor Storrie grew up in Odessa, Texas, far from the California studios. A lifelong cinema enthusiast (citing The Shining and Black Swan as influences), he practiced gymnastics and later moved to Los Angeles, taking on odd jobs although attending an improvisation school and immersing himself in the Los Angeles clown scene.
His early filmography included small roles in Tiny Beautiful Things and the independent LGBT+ film Riley (2023), followed by a notable appearance as a young Arkham inmate in Joker: Folie à deux (2024) alongside Joaquin Phoenix.
The Fashion World Takes Notice
The success of Heated Rivalry propelled Connor Storrie into the fashion world. In January 2026, he attended the Saint Laurent Men’s Autumn-Winter 2026-2027 show in Paris, wearing a fawn-toned suit with a yellow mustard shirt and tie, nearly stealing the show from Austin Butler, Vassili Schneider, and Rami Malek. Saint Laurent has since become his stylistic ally.
He then carried the Olympic flame in Italy during the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. On February 28, 2026, Storrie will host Saturday Night Live. He is also in negotiations to join the cast of Peaked, an A24 comedy directed by Molly Gordon (The Bear), alongside Emma Mackey, Laura Dern, and Simone Ashley, marking his first major post-Heated Rivalry role. Season two of the series is scheduled to start filming in summer 2026.
Heated Rivalry (2025), created by Jacob Tierney, is available on HBO Max.
