‘Heated Rivalry’ Author Confirms Popular Fan Theory About Shane
What To Know
- Rachel Reid, author of Heated Rivalry, appears to have confirmed a popular fan theory about Shane.
- She also explained that Heated Rivalry show creator Jacob Tierney and actor Hudson Williams factored it into the show.
- Fans have praised Heated Rivalry‘s subtle yet intentional representation.
Though it isn’t explicitly stated in the books, a portion of the Heated Rivalry fandom has long wondered if Shane (Hudson Williams) is neurodivergent, voicing the theory online. Now that his love story with Ilya (Connor Storrie) has made its way to TV, we have our answer.
Straight from the source herself, author Rachel Reid has confirmed that Shane is autistic. When Instagram user @anni.malter shared a preview of her interview Reid, she wrote, “It’s canon that Shane is autistic. Rachel told me that both the show’s creator [Jacob Tierney] and actor [Williams] recognized this immediately.”
It backs up what the author said in a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” in November. While Reid wrote her first book about Shane and Ilya, she wasn’t intending for the former to come across as neurodivergent — just “uptight/anxious/focused” — because she wasn’t informed on the topic at the time.
“I then went through the long and complicated journey of getting my neurodivergent oldest child diagnosed, and I learned a lot then, and since. So by the time I wrote The Long Game [sequel], I had a better understanding of Shane, I think, and I realized that, yeah, he’s probably autistic,” the author explained, adding that Shane might never realize it himself.
The December 14 Instagram Story, however, appears to be the first confirmation that the show’s team took Shane’s autism into account when bringing the book character to life. “Another reason why hudson williams is the perfect shane hollander,” says an X comment with over 2,000 likes. “The fact he clocked that shane is autistic and played him that way. he understands shane so well 😭”
On Reddit, some fans mentioned that they picked up on the possible signs of Shane’s neurodivergence in the show — Shane folding his clothes before hookups, pointing out that the bed is dirty afterward, and so on — while others said they didn’t before the author confirmed it.
Since @anni.malter’s post was shared, many fans have echoed her praise of Heated Rivalry‘s intentional representation of neurodivergence, even if it isn’t stated outright. “A lot of the communication issues [Shane and Ilya] have is Shane taking things literally,” someone chimed in on Threads. “He needs his routines, and his rules (the food, the ginger ale). It was obvious to me because I am autistic and I am raising an autistic child.”
Another Reddit user said, “Again, Jacob and Hudson being Shane’s biggest champions I feel. I so appreciate all they’ve done with Shane and how deeply they thought about him and Hudson clearly has a lot of deep deep thoughts on how he’s portraying him.”
Heated Rivalry, Season 1, New Episodes, Fridays, HBO Max
