Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie for Heated Rivalry S2 / HBO
Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie have joined the cast of Heated Rivalry in key roles for season two.
Filming of the much-anticipated new season got underway this month, with breakout stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams reprising their roles as clandestine lovers Ilya Romanov and Shane Hollander.
Smith, known for Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, and Gillespie, star of One Night Only, will play Harris Drover and Troy Barrett respectively – another couple from the ice hockey world who take centre stage in author Rachel Reid’s Role Model book, which forms the basis for season two.
Troy is a teammate of Ilya at the Ottawa Centaurs who has a history of bullying, while Harris is the team’s affable social media manager.
In a joint statement, exec producers Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady said: “Rachel Reid has given us two beautifully layered characters in Harris and Troy who you can’t help but root for.
“From the start of the casting process, we knew we were looking for actors who could create something truly special together and bring that same depth and heart to the screen.
“Justice and Charlie do exactly that. They immediately connected with the vulnerability and resilience at the core of these characters, bringing an instinctive understanding of who Harris and Troy are.”
The new season is due for release on HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic in the UK and Ireland from Spring 2027.
