Hudson Williams — whose own father is on the autism spectrum — rose to fame playing Shane Hollander, a world-class hockey player who is also on the spectrum, in Heated Rivalry.
So what did he say when he was invited to be questioned by a roomful of autistic and neurodivergent interviewers?
“I’m strapped in. My knees are bent.”
The rules of The Assembly are as follows: “No subjects are out of bounds. No questions are off the table, and all might happen.”
The first episode of Season 2 aired on CBC television last night and can still be viewed on Gem. To avoid spoilers, stream it now before reading any further.
The meaning behind one of his tattoos
Hudson Williams gives a bit of a tattoo tour at the start of his episode on The Assembly. As the room fills up, he shows the interviewers which ones were done by his tattoo-artist girlfriend, Katelyn Larson.
The cherries just above his left elbow, for starters. And higher up on his shoulder, the outline of a set of teeth.
It’s the underbite of his late dog, Jesse Skywalker Williams, who died at 17 years old, he says.
“Whenever he looked at me, he had this little underbite smile,” says Williams.
How Hudson Williams views his relationship with Connor Storrie
True to The Assembly‘s promise, one interviewer named Nate asks Williams what many people have been wondering but may have been too afraid to ask: “Did you ever feel something for Connor that was more than friendship?”
Williams says he and his Heated Rivalry co-star Connor Storrie are “platonic soulmates — just completely in love with each other.”
But he makes it clear those feelings will never become romantic — not even if they cuddle for 10 hours straight. He says it’s what makes their relationship stable and beautiful.
Though Williams does suggest it would be great to bring Storrie everywhere — even the shower.
“Someone needs to get my back. I wish Connor was just with me every day…. Because I have a loofah, but I can’t reach. If I had Connor with me every day, he could just come in there.”
In Season 2 of The Assembly, Williams answers questions about his Heated Rivalry co-stars and what it’s really like filming those steamy sex scenes. (CBC/Small Army Entertainment)
When the interview ends, that revelation inspires another member of The Assembly to share that he has a guy he loves too: his best friend Colin.
“That’s lovely. It’s so important to have that,” Williams tells him.
He was ‘pumped’ for friends and family to watch Heated Rivalry sex scenes
Williams says he wasn’t worried about those closest to him seeing the intimate scenes in Heated Rivalry.
In fact, he held a screening for the first episode and invited about a dozen friends plus his mom to watch it together, with the expectation it would be “the best friends-screening ever.”
Any time a sex scene was coming up, Williams would tell his mom to cover her eyes. His friends all brought party horns, which they blew any time something provocative was happening on screen.
When the horns went silent, his mom knew it was safe to start watching again.
His controversial Victoria comment was taken out of context
When Williams was filming Yaga back in March, he described Victoria in a way that stirred up controversy online.
Specifically, he described it as “dead as f**k” and full of “old people.”
The autistic and neurodivergent interviewers in The Assembly asked Williams a range of questions, including what his workouts were like and whether he ever caught feelings for his co-star Connor Storrie. (CBC/Small Army Entertainment)
An interviewer named Margot gives Williams the opportunity to set the record straight, and he takes it, telling her the quote was taken out of context.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m doing so much better. I’m filming this show and I just love it. It’s so great. I’m shooting in Victoria, which is like dead as f**k, old people, boring.’ Like, I was using those adjectives to describe why I love it.”
Williams says he never meant “old people” to be taken as an insult, but he’s learning this is all part of being in the public eye.
Williams says he ignored ADHD symptoms
One of the questions Williams appears to appreciate most comes from an interviewer named Julia: “How do you feel like your Korean values have shaped your experience of having ADHD?”
Williams describes how for a long time he struggled to focus in class, and he says his background may have contributed to him ignoring symptoms or pretending they don’t exist.
“I feel like a lot of the answer in Asian culture is just more discipline, more discipline…. Sometimes that can be good, but a lot of times it can look like denying a sensitive connection to yourself and a … kindness to yourself.”
He tells The Assembly he now realizes ADHD isn’t something he can fix simply by trying harder.
While he has taken medication for the condition before, he says he and his mother were initially reluctant. He then reveals he recently considered trying medication again, but “the Korean in me is like, ‘Don’t. Just focus, just don’t do it. Just work harder.'”
Williams says he got goosebumps when some of the interviewers in The Assembly performed an a cappella version of All the Things She Said by t.A.T.u. — one of the songs included on the Heated Rivalry soundtrack. (CBC/Small Army Entertainment)
The episode ends with Williams sharing the Heated Rivalry message he hopes comes across most clearly:
“You deserve the best love story and the best romance story in your life — no matter who you are.”
The episode is full of tender moments, and there are more to be seen in the longer producer’s cut now streaming on Gem.
