Justice Smith Responds to 'Heated Rivalry' Season 2 Casting Backlash: "I Will Take Good Care of Him"
Justice Smith has broken his silence on the online reaction to his casting in Season 2 of Heated Rivalry, posting an Instagram Story thanking supportive fans and writing that he is "honored" to play the character and will "take good care of him" (Deadline, 10 August 2026).
Smith and Charlie Gillespie were announced on 8 August as the actors behind Harris Drover and Troy Barrett, the central couple of Role Model, the fifth book in Rachel Reid's Game Changer series (Deadline, 8 August 2026; The Hollywood Reporter, 8 August 2026). In Reid's books, Troy is a hockey player on Ilya Rozanov's team with a history of bullying, while Harris is the team's cheerful social media manager. Their story, drawn from Role Model alongside The Long Game, forms the basis for the show's second season (Deadline, 10 August 2026).
The casting drew swift negative reaction from some fans online. Author Rachel Reid pushed back, reminding readers that Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams — who play Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander, the first season's leads — faced similar criticism when their casting was first announced (Deadline, 10 August 2026; The Hollywood Reporter, 22 December 2025). Reid appeared to dismiss the backlash outright in a separate report from 9 August (Deadline, 9 August 2026).
Series creator Jacob Tierney and fellow executive producer Brendan Brady said they sought actors for Harris and Troy who could "create something special together" and bring depth and heart to the screen, praising both Smith and Gillespie (Deadline, 10 August 2026).
Heated Rivalry is a Canadian gay hockey romance drama — adapted from Reid's Game Changer book series — about two rival professional players who fall in love. HBO Max acquired the rights to the series in November 2025 (The Hollywood Reporter, 19 November 2025). Season 2 is set to begin filming in summer 2026 and premiere in April 2027, as confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter in February and reiterated by Deadline's August feature (The Hollywood Reporter, 27 February 2026; Deadline, 8 August 2026).
For fans of the books, the pattern will sound familiar. A casting announcement lands, a subset of readers objects, and the author and producers hold firm. The first season's leads weathered the same storm. Season 2's new pair now step into it.
