{"id":705350,"date":"2025-12-27T12:50:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T09:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/francois-arnaud-on-heated-rivalry-success-and-defending-his-costars-2\/"},"modified":"2025-12-27T12:50:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T09:50:10","slug":"francois-arnaud-on-heated-rivalry-success-and-defending-his-costars-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/francois-arnaud-on-heated-rivalry-success-and-defending-his-costars-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud on \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 Success and Defending His Costars"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t[This story contains spoilers from the first season of HBO Max\u2018s Heated Rivalry<\/em>.]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt made me feel like I\u2019m fucking ancient,\u201d Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud jokes. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe 40-year-old Heated Rivalry<\/em> star is far from ancient, but he certainly is<\/em> the elder figure on the Jacob Tierney-helmed HBO Max-Crave hockey romance series<\/a>. Arnaud plays Scott Hunter, a veteran professional player, who much like the fresh faced rookies, Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) at the center of the show, bears the weight of being a closeted professional hockey player.<\/p>\n

\n\tScott\u2019s story, Game<\/a> Changer<\/em>, is the first book in Heated Rivalry<\/em>\u2019s source material, a string of novels by author Rachel Reid set in the same universe. In the penultimate episode of season one, released Dec. 19, Scott literally changes the game of hockey \u2014 pun intended \u2014 by publicly coming out after winning the championship, kissing his love interest Kip Grady on the ice. It gives the younger players the push they need to get together for real \u2014 thank you, Scott \u2014 and it offers another queer experience different than that of the main plot.<\/p>\n

\n\tTo quote several fans online, Arnaud\u2019s character Scott is essentially the universe\u2019s gay hockey godfather. \u201cIt provides perspective on what it means to stay, to keep that a secret for longer and the weight, the toll that it takes and the emotional availability of being older in that space,\u201d Arnaud explains.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s just days before Christmas, and the actor sits casually in a conference room at The Hollywood Reporter<\/em>\u2019s L.A. office. He\u2019s calm and charming, sharing his upcoming holiday plans. Taking some time to finally log off the internet seems to be a priority.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s weird. I feel like I\u2019ve been an up-and-coming actor my whole life and I just turned into a veteran in three weeks,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m like, oh, God, I feel like Ian McKellen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBelow, the actor shares his thoughts on Scott\u2019s future, why he speaks his mind about the intrusion in actors\u2019 private lives and adjusting to this new level of stardom.<\/p>\n

\n\tEveryone is probably so tired of hearing me say they need to watch the show.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s crazy. I think people are surprised. It\u2019s crazy how much press the show got surrounding the sexiness and the smuttiness of it, where I feel like that\u2019s really not why people are watching now.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s a small part at this point.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tTo be fair, it\u2019s kind of how they hook you in the first two [episodes], but it is so much more than that, I think.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat\u2019s what [showrunner] Jacob Tierney told me in the beginning, that you were going to get us with the sex, but then the heart is going to sneak in. I feel like that\u2019s what your character really does.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tCertainly he\u2019s the first one to do it. I think it gives permission to the other guys to go there as well.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tFrancois Arnaud as Scott Hunter in episode 101 of Heated Rivalry. <\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSabrina Lantos\/HBO<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tWhat were your thoughts going into the third episode after you saw the reaction to episodes one and two? People were getting so invested in the Ilya-Shane story. Were you nervous?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tA little bit.<\/p>\n

\n\tWere you anxious about how they were going to react?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI think I have talked about that a bit, and I didn\u2019t want to preempt that fear or that reaction too much. I think I app<\/a>reciated the fact \u2014 as an audience member and an artist and actor or whatever, someone who likes movies and TV \u2014 I love that Jacob allows himself to do that. To sort of throw us a complete curveball. I never thought about that when I read it. If anything, I thought that it was kind of a breath of fresh air after the sexual tension of the first [episodes]. Then when I saw the online response to the first two, I was like, \u201cOh, fuck. Oh, fuck, yeah, people are going to want more of these two and then just be reticent or reluctant to take us in.\u201d I\u2019m sure there were [some] people who did feel that way, but I think for the [most] part I\u2019ve received tons of incredibly warm responses. I certainly miss [Shane and Ilya] too whenever we\u2019re on screen, but I think to provide a window into another sort of experience took a lot of people by surprise. I think the people who were in for it were rewarded.<\/p>\n

\n\tScott\u2019s story in particular, to go off what you\u2019re saying, almost feels like it\u2019s for a different section of the audience in a way. Myself, as a queer person, I had a lot of feelings on the storyline that I felt I resonated with. I imagine you, as an openly queer person yourself, it might carry a different weight.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tCan you tell me what kind of difference it carried for you?<\/p>\n

\n\tI think I related to it more. Especially as someone who came out later than most of my friends and clued in on myself later than most of my friends.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, I\u2019ve received a lot of those comments certainly.<\/p>\n

\n\tI felt that in that way, it resonated differently with me. But I\u2019m wondering how it resonated for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI think those two things are complementary. I\u2019ll answer your question in a second. I think certainly some people relate more to the Shane and Ilya couple and others to Scott and Kip. But really what I think the brilliance of Jacob\u2019s screenwriting is that no matter where you stand on that spectrum, it all comes together to make a more complete experience as a viewer<\/p>\n

\n\tI relate to it in a way that \u2026 Listen, I think I\u2019ve given a lot to have this career and to live this passion of mine that has been at the forefront of every single one of my thoughts since I was a teenager. Everyone\u2019s experience is different. It felt like in my life, there was certainly a time where it was easier to just kind of not \u2026 Well, to pass, I guess. To use a dated term, maybe.<\/p>\n

\n\tI understand.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI didn\u2019t really feel the need to confront those things for a while. Then for a variety of reasons that belongs to both career and personal life, there was a moment where I just felt like it wasn\u2019t worth the effort or the mental toll that it was taking on me. I thought it would make me a more honest performer if I was able to just let that go.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat was my greatest fear, and that\u2019s why I\u2019m sort of so reluctant to talk about these things is because I don\u2019t want it to mean that it\u2019s an open door to talk about my private life, because I do believe in the value of privacy, and I don\u2019t believe that people are entitled to know anything about an actor\u2019s private life. For me, it required a bit of juggling, and I\u2019m someone who likes and who can\u2019t help but voice my opinions on a lot of things. (Laughs<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

\n\tI appreciate it, actually. I don\u2019t think you need to talk about your private life; I\u2019m of that same belief.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tSo I want to be able to do that, as well as lend my authenticity to roles that I take on, all kinds of roles that I want to take on. I don\u2019t want to be limited by anything.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s something about the moment that Scott finds himself in his life in that third episode that really deeply moved me and I connected with on an immedia<\/a>te level. I felt like there is nothing to prepare for this apart from learning to tie my skates properly and look a little less stupid doing it. But other than that, I was just like, \u201cOh God, I\u2019m ready to say these words. Maybe it\u2019s too intense,\u201d like [Scott\u2019s] whole spiel to Kip at the kitchen counter. I believe in showing up in that way, and I want to do that in my own life. This is the kind of relationship and connection that I\u2019m interested in.<\/p>\n

\n\tI think it\u2019s a welcome addition to the canon of queer experiences that are seen on television. The whole show is about that. More than about gayness, actually, it\u2019s about masculinity and the currency that it is. How we are taught as men to limit the vulnerability that we\u2019re showing other people. I think that the whole show is cracking that cookie, dismantling that and providing different windows onto that.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tFrancois Arnaud as Scott Hunter and Robbie G.K. as Kip Grady in Episode 105 of Heated Rivalry. <\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSabrina Lantos\/HBO<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tYou hit on something I want to talk about, which is that you like to speak your mind and want to talk about things.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tFor now. I might be going back into my shell in about a day.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere is this idea that as a consumer of media, you\u2019re somehow entitled to know details about a person\u2019s private life. You commenting back to DeuxMoi (\u201cIf you\u2019re going to be posting unauthorized recordings of people\u2019s private lives, maybe at least get the title of the movie right?\u201d) was an example of pushing back on that. Why is it so important for you to do that? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s kind of two birds, one stone actually, because that movie that I was promoting that day (FuckToys<\/em>) is something that I really believe in. For them to get the title wrong, I was like, \u201cWell, can you get us distribution then? Can you help us? Can you make it useful to us if you\u2019re going to \u2026\u201d I don\u2019t know. I mean, it\u2019s just mind-boggling to me that this kind of intrusion into personal life is still accepted in 2025 after people like Kit Connor was bullied out of the closet in a way that he wasn\u2019t ready for. Is that the representation that we want? I don\u2019t think so. I was wondering which comment you were going to bring up.<\/p>\n

\n\tWell, I mean, your comment, \u201cShould the sex that closeted hockey players have look like the sex that sceney L.A. gay guys have?\u201d was also pretty good.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tAgain, that was not a diss to any particular branch of the community.<\/p>\n

\n\tI don\u2019t think it came off as that.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tNot only should we be allowed to show a variety of experiences, we should crave that and want that. It should all be celebrated and not just \u2014\u00a0the show is about closeted hockey players, it\u2019s a hypermasculine world. That\u2019s the point. If you don\u2019t want to see that, then to each his own, right?<\/p>\n

\n\tI spoke with Chala Hunter, your intimacy coordinator, who pointed out that there is no universal experience. This is one sliver of the queer experience.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tThat\u2019s also what being an actor is. Being specific, taking on a person\u2019s reality that could have nothing to do with your own and trying to make it personal and inject a lot of things. That\u2019s why the question of representation for me is a difficult one because there\u2019s \u2026 I think our responsibility is to the characters and the story and to bring truth to that. And, of course, enrich it with everything that you can bring from your own lived experience, but it\u2019s within the realm of the genre, which is not a documentary. It\u2019s fantasy, and we\u2019re fine with that. We always knew [that]. I love how Jacob has spoken about that.<\/p>\n

\n\tMe too. I really appreciate that the show takes it seriously.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tYes, totally. [Jacob] takes on the source material and honors it and honors people\u2019s love for it. I think on television, and also in their own lives, people are longing for masculine figures of vulnerability and people who are willing to go there. Certainly, that\u2019s what I\u2019m looking for with my family members, with my friends. We\u2019ve all been raised to shut down. I think it needs a lot of work to constantly chip at those walls, and I think the show does that brilliantly.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou\u2019ve defended your coworkers, Hudson and Connor, by saying they\u2019ve been famous for a short while and to give them a break. Do you find yourself jumping into that because you are the veteran of the cast?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tNo, it just happens to be Hudson and Connor in this position now, but it\u2019s not actually about them. What I\u2019m saying is it\u2019s about all of us. It\u2019s about what our responsibility is as actors, as people who take on these stories and who give so much to that for months on end. It\u2019s a much more general<\/a> thought about the value of our contribution, the responsibility that it entails. I guess when I say they\u2019ve been famous for nine days, and just can you give them a break, that sounds pretty specifically about them, but it\u2019s really fed by my general thoughts on the matter and not really about them.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou\u2019ve been famous for a bit more than nine days.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019m not famous ever. I\u2019ve been a working actor who has been lucky enough to have many opportunities to work on inspiring pieces of work. I had little periods of scrutiny into my private life, but never on the level that they are getting now, or that I\u2019m getting now.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t(L to R) Francois Arnaud as Scott Hunter and Robbie G.K. as Kip Grady in Episode 103 of Heated Rivalry. <\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSabrina Lantos\/HBO<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tWhat are you feeling now? This part of things is still a very new experience for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s a bit of a whiplash. After having been in and given so much to projects that maybe we thought or were way more poised to be huge than this was, being a smaller Canadian show, that\u2019s taught me so much actually because I don\u2019t really think of the result anymore. It\u2019s taught me to appreciate every day on set, the camaraderie, the group work, the introspective work too, of being an actor and preparing and all that. I rarely think about the result anymore.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor this surprise to come and for doing something that happens to resonate culturally and be part of the zeitgeist, it\u2019s kind of amazing. It\u2019s like, great, that\u2019s what you do it for. You do it to reach people, and this is reaching people on a massive level, so I\u2019m not going to complain. It\u2019s a fun moment. I can\u2019t wait to log off the internet for two weeks tomorrow.<\/p>\n

\n\tHow online are you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tWell, I\u2019m going to delete Instagram today or tomorrow. Maybe download it again for episode six and then delete it again until the New Year, for sure, or when I come back [to L.A.]. I think that despite [Connor and Hudson\u2019s] inexperience with that and their youth and everybody\u2019s kind of new experience with that level of success, I think that we\u2019re all, first and foremost committed to our craft and anxious to go back in and reconnect with why we want to do this. This is a strange part of the job that we\u2019re grateful for and excited by, and it\u2019s fun.<\/p>\n

\n\tScott and Kip certainly have parts in other books, including The Long Game<\/em>. How do you want his story to continue?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tListen, I have no idea, and I think no one does. I don\u2019t think even Jacob does, to be honest. I think he\u2019s a bit shell-shocked by the whole thing.<\/p>\n

\n\tI can imagine.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tHe\u2019s planning to take time off the holidays and then go back and start writing in January. So far, the first season has been a faithful adaptation of the books. Now, whether that changes for the future, who\u2019s to say. The conversations I had with him were prior to all this, six weeks ago or two months ago. I don\u2019t know whether we get our own little thing.<\/p>\n

\n\tWould you want to?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tMaybe a TV movie, or something shorter. I don\u2019t know. Our story is more of a classic rom-com arc. It always reminded me of Notting Hill<\/em> for the way it deals with fame and all that. We got that big moment. Do we want a soapy version of them fighting over Kip not cleaning the smoothie blender? Maybe. I don\u2019t know. I think it would be interesting to turn that on its head and make it hyperreal, as opposed to aspirational like it\u2019s been. I\u2019d be curious to see that. I\u2019m operating as a free agent. We\u2019ll see what happens, and we\u2019ll see if we\u2019re all on the same page.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat do you want people to take away from this show?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019ve received messages from people who told me that their son came out to them because of our episode, and that it kind of changed their reaction to it too. Am I ever hoping that fiction work has that kind of real life effect? I feel like it\u2019d be arrogant to say that. I just hope in everything else that I partake in, it\u2019s like an empathy creating machine and that it makes people softer, more forgiving, tender and more empathetic to whatever other people have going on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[This story contains spoilers from the first season of HBO Max\u2018s Heated Rivalry.] \u201cIt made me feel like I\u2019m fucking ancient,\u201d Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud jokes. The 40-year-old Heated Rivalry star is far from ancient, but he certainly is the elder figure on the Jacob Tierney-helmed HBO Max-Crave hockey romance series. Arnaud plays Scott Hunter, a veteran…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":705351,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2252637245-e1766740065562.jpg?w=1440&h=810&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[160106,640,159957],"class_list":["post-705350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-francois-arnaud","tag-hbo-max","tag-heated-rivalry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=705350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705350\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/705351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=705350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=705350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=705350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}