Exclusive Interview

‘Heated Rivalry’s Robbie G.K. & Sophie Nélisse Talk Season 2 & More (VIDEO)

Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) don’t share the spotlight with many other characters in Heated Rivalry Season 1, but Rose (Sophie Nélisse) and Kip (Robbie G.K.) do get some time to shine. The two characters never interact in the show, but Creation Entertainment‘s Page, Screen, and Everything in Between convention made the crossover happen in real-life between the two actors.

Nélisse and G.K. stopped by during the May 10 event to chat about the hockey romance adaptation with Swooon. What’s the latest status update on their characters’ return in Season 2? How familiar are they with Rachel Reid’s The Long Game, which will be the basis of Season 2? How would their characters interact with Ilya? Watch the video above or scroll for those answers and more.

Swooon: Your characters obviously never interact on screen, but did you guys ever meet on set before today?

G.K.: One time, when we were doing… It was my last day, funny enough. We were doing Episode 5 and the kiss and all that stuff, and then we did a bunch of social media stuff that day, and we did a bunch of photo shoots that day, kind of similar to what we’re doing now.

Swooon: So you got to see the big kiss happen?

Nélisse: Honestly, I didn’t watch it, and I didn’t even know it was going on, and I’m so happy I didn’t because the reveal when I watched the show, when everything was edited together, I literally sobbed. So I’m actually kind of happy that I kept it as a surprise.

Swooon: Do you guys hope eventually that Rose and Kip meet? What do you think they would think of each other? 

Nélisse: I think they would love each other.

G.K.: I think they would love each other a lot, actually.

Nélisse: I think they would be really close friends.

G.K.: I think you and I — those two characters are softies of the entire storyline.

Swooon: Definitely. I guess maybe it’ll be at Ilya and Shane’s wedding?

G.K.: Who knows?

Nélisse: Then they can party together.

G.K.: They should, honestly, just film that as — if they are going to film it — they should film it as a real party. We should just do that from like seven to nine.

Nélisse: Oh, yeah. Improv the whole day.

G.K.: Totally.

Swooon: I think in the books, they’re both there, and they get the invite. [Correction: Only Rose is mentioned at Shane and Ilya’s wedding in The Long Game.]

G.K.: I hope so. That’ll be my first group invite from anywhere [laughs].

Swooon: And have each of you read The Long Game, and if so, is there any scene you’re excited to see play out?

Nélisse: I have not, actually.

G.K.: I have cracked into the audiobook a little bit. I know audiobooks with this series are hit and miss, but I have done a little bit, but I’ve also intentionally loved to not know what’s going to happen because I also don’t want to be disappointed or have any kind of idea going into the second season about it. So, I’m kind of just letting it hit me like a freight train.

Swooon: Leave it as a surprise, like you said.

Nélisse: Yeah, I like to be able to watch it, really, like as a member of the audience.

Swooon: Definitely. And also, Sophie, how do you think Rose and Ilya would interact?

Nélisse: I think they would be really close. I mean, I think Rose just wants the best for Shane, and if that’s the man that he’s in love with, I think she’s going to be fully supportive. And I think Ilya is like a softie as well and has the kindest and purest heart. So yeah, I think they would get along really well.

Crave

Swooon: Yeah, I’d think he wouldn’t be jealous anymore.

Nélisse: No [laughs].

Swooon: With Ilya and Kip, I feel like that interaction might be a little more… I mean, he gives Scott a [hard time].

G.K.: Yeah, I think there would definitely be some degree of a standoff, not coming from me. I don’t know. I feel like it would just be a weird interaction at first, and maybe a couple of glasses of red wine would help get us closer.

Swooon: Maybe at the wedding.

G.K.: Hope so. Hope it’s more than a couple.

Crave

Swooon: Sophie, Rose becomes one of Shane’s closest friends. They’re already pretty close where we leave them in Season 1. What does Shane’s friendship mean to Rose? How does it impact her life?

Nélisse: That’s a good question. I’ve kind of always seen it from Shane’s perspective. I think it must be really nice for her to have a friend that doesn’t care about the world that she’s in, and being a famous actress, I think she probably is surrounded by people that always want to take something out of her, that are there for the wrong reasons. She’s always put on a pedestal, probably. So I think it’s probably nice to have someone with whom she can also meet truly herself and let her guard down and be a bit more vulnerable and honest and real. And so, I think they mutually give each other the same amount of love and respect in that relationship.

Swooon: I know we haven’t gotten confirmation if Kip and Rose will return, but do you have any hopes for them in Season 2?

G.K.: Well, I think confirmation of return would be a good one.

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Nélisse: Yeah.

G.K.: That’s a good start. I mean, I would say, just to continue to exist in the universe and try to see how that relationship continues to develop, and also to meet the other characters. Honestly, I think that there’s a lot of fun scenes to be had there, and like the wedding scenes and all these other things that I think for fans of the series would feel like a bit of a Marvel Avengers type meeting of favorites. Plot lines and things like that intersecting. Or Love, Actually, if you will.

Nélisse: What he said, and I think, yeah, just getting Rose to really get to know more of Shane and all of his depth. I want Rose to become his biggest confidant, and that he can really share… I mean, it’s one thing to come out, but then that comes with its other world of emotions and feelings, and that’s a lot to navigate. And I kind of want her to be there through it all and help him and advise him as best she can, and also to get to know his circle. I want Rose to get to know his mom and Ilya, and to be there for all of these public events, and be the same way as I have my best friends, my close community. They’re so tightly-knitted, and they’re in my daily life, and I want her to be their friend.

Heated Rivalry, Season 2, TBA 2027, Crave & HBO Max