François Arnaud is ‘protecting himself more’ after Heated Rivalry fame
François Arnaud opens up about the fallout of Heated Rivalry. (Michael Loccisano/Getty)
Heated Rivalry star François Arnaud says he’s protecting himself more after the wildly popular ice hockey romance put him in the spotlight.
Forty-one-year-old Arnaud, who came out as bisexual in 2020, plays ice hockey star Scott Hunter in Heated Rivalry. He’s the star of episode three, which focuses on Hunter and his love interest, Kip Grady (played by Robbie GK).
While the show blew up, Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams became overnight stars; Arnaud also saw an influx of attention on his private life.
In a new interview with La Presse, Arnaud addresses that experience.
‘If I say something, it can feed gossip sites for three days’
“I don’t think it has changed who I am deeply,” he shared. “The only thing that has changed is that I may be protecting myself a little more, especially in interviews.
“Before, I could say what I wanted, and at worst, it would make me react for 15 minutes. Now, if I say something, it can feed gossip sites for three days.
“It’s more that I would have to protect myself more.”
Rumours about Arnaud’s love life became rampant on social media, with speculation about him and other male actors. Arnaud has mostly stayed silent on the rumours.
Speaking about the approaching second season of Heated Rivalry, the actor noted: “I had to sign 14 papers telling me to shut up.”
Arnaud kept tight-lipped in the interview about the second season, though he did give some hints about the show’s scale.
“It’s not bad [it’s] the same budget, except for clothes and cars,” Arnaud shared in response to the show’s second season not having a larger budget.
“The designers sent [clothes] that rich hockey players would wear. The big car brands sent [cars] that these players would drive in life.”
There have been some hints about what we can expect from season two, including more Scott and Kip action.
Back in August, Arnaud teased: “I can tell you that there’s more of Scott, but I can’t tell you in what capacity. There are various things at play.”
Though Arnaud didn’t spill much, his declaration that “there’s definitely more of Scott and Kip,” has delighted fans.
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