Rachel Reid brushes off Heated Rivalry season 2 casting backlash with cheeky dig

Rachel Reid appears to have reacted to the backlash to the confirmed Heated Rivalry season two casting news with a cheeky dig.

Crave, the Canadian channel behind the gay hockey drama, confirmed that Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie have joined the show as Harris Drover and Troy Barrett.

Smith’s casting had previously been rumoured, with fans split over him playing loveable social media manager Harris. Some were unhappy with the casting, as in Reid’s Game Changers novel series, Harris is a bit cuddlier than the ripped hockey players he works with.

However, Reid has taken aim at the naysayers on Instagram, reminding them about the initial backlash to Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie being cast as Shane Holland and Ilya Rozanov.

Alongside a side-eye selfie, the author wrote: “Thinking about all the people last summer who told me the casting for Ilya and Shane was wrong and bad…”

Williams and Storrie became overnight megastars when Heated Rivalry debuted late last year and have been two of the most talked about and in demand faces ever since, even making their Met Gala debuts in May.

Speaking of the casting news, executive producers Jacon Tierney and Brendan Brady said: “Rachel Reid has given us two beautifully layered characters in Harris and Troy who you can’t help but root for.

“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. Justice and Charlie do exactly that. They immediately connected with the vulnerability and resilience at the core of these characters, bringing an instinctive understanding of who Harris and Troy are.”

Who are Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie?

While Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie were essentially unknown actors when they were cast, both Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie have had numerous roles already.

Smith is best known for appearing in the Jurassic World movies as Franklin Webb, and as the lead role of Tim Goodman in the 2019 live-action Pokemon film Detective Pikachu.

The actor is also openly queer, and is dating actor Nicholas L Ashe.

Meanwhile, Gillespie has appeared in the likes of One Night Only and Totally Killer, and had a viral role in Splitsville last year thanks to his sculpted body (which alone makes him a great choice for the role of Troy Barrett, tbh).

Troy Barrett and Harris Drover in Game Changers

Troy Barrett and Harris Drover are the lead characters in book five of the Game Changers novel series, titled Role Model.

Closeted hockey player Barrett moves to play for the Ottawa Centaurs (also Ilya Rozanov’s new team) after a very public falling out with his former friend Dallas Kent, who has been accused of sexual assault.

The trade comes after an unexpected split from his secret boyfriend, actor Adrian Dela Cruz.

Eventually, he falls for the team’s bubbly social media manager, Harris Drover, and they navigate a secret relationship, until Troy decides to publicly come out.

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