Hudson Williams didn’t ease into the spotlight. He crashed through it.
The 24-year-old actor, who plays hockey heartthrob Shane Hollander on Crave’s breakout queer romance Heated Rivalry, is now front and center on the latest cover of Wonderland Magazine, a moment that quite literally overwhelmed the publication’s website. The shoot, which features Williams stripped down in a pool and posing with a banana in hand, quickly ricocheted across social media, solidifying his status as the Internet’s current fixation.
But beneath the viral thirst and high-gloss imagery is an actor navigating fame in real time, openly, imperfectly, and without much concern for polish.
From Cult Favorite to Cultural Moment
Based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novels, Heated Rivalry follows rival hockey players Shane Hollander (Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) as their animosity turns into something far more intimate. When the series debuted for North American audiences in late 2025, it didn’t just attract viewers, it ignited them.
The show’s global rollout sparked online hysteria, pushing Williams and Storrie into a level of visibility that rarely unfolds this fast. Within months, Williams found himself presenting at the Golden Globes, walking his first international runway, and attending Paris Fashion Week between press commitments.
“It’s only just beginning,” he acknowledged in conversation with Wonderland, where he sat down with co-star Sophie Nélisse to unpack the surreal shift from working actor to cultural talking point.
Fashion Week Whiplash
Williams made his runway debut for DSquared2 in Milan, an appearance that drew as much commentary as it did clicks. He didn’t pretend it went smoothly.
“I was the worst walker on the runway,” he admitted, explaining that stiff boots and zero practice left him exposed in a space dominated by professionals. Online critics were quick to notice, with some summing up the moment as “face card, no walk card.”
Instead of dodging the reaction, Williams leaned into it. The honesty resonated, reinforcing a public persona built less on control and more on transparency.
No Media Training, No Filter
That lack of polish has become part of the appeal. According to Nélisse, Williams’ rise came without the buffer of traditional media training, a fact that shows up everywhere from his interviews to candid photos circulating online.
Whether he’s smoking outside a fashion house or partying behind a DJ booth in Paris, Williams doesn’t appear interested in curating a spotless image. He even laughed off accusations of “aura farming” after photos showed him chain-smoking during Fashion Week, clarifying that nerves, not aesthetics, were doing the talking.
“I’m trying to quit,” he said plainly, acknowledging the contradiction without dressing it up.
Fame, But Make It Chaotic
Perhaps the clearest snapshot of Williams’ new reality came during a game of Camera Roll Roulette for Wonderland. One photo showed him casually smoking with Charli xcx and Omar Apollo at the Golden Globes, a sentence he admitted he never expected to say out loud.
“It’s obnoxious,” he joked, before adding that the moment still felt unreal.
That mix of self-awareness and disbelief runs through Williams’ public presence. He understands the moment, but he hasn’t tried to sanitize it, and that may be why audiences are responding so strongly.
As Heated Rivalry continues to expand its global reach, Hudson Williams remains at the center of the conversation: unfiltered, self-aware, and clearly along for the ride.
