Dylan Walsh, who plays Shane Hollander’s dad in “Heated Rivalry,” confesses he’s blown away by the massive success of the Crave/HBO Max series.
Walsh, who has been acting for close to forty years, shares that there have been many times when “I’ll do something, I think, okay, this is going to move the dial,” and nothing happens.
He thought “Heated Rivalry” would be one of those projects, but admits he was dead wrong and “did not see it coming.”
The actor, 62, “thought it was going to be good,” but since it’s a gay romance show, he assumed it would only be popular with a “very selective kind of demographic.”
“Not because I’m narrow-minded,” Walsh clarifies, “but because I know that a good portion of the country is narrow-minded. I thought it would have a little niche audience.”
The overwhelmingly positive response has been heartening for the “Nip/Tuck” alum.
“I didn’t see it doing much, and I have to say, I’m so reassured by the response,” he says. “It makes me realize we seem backward at times, but there’s a lot more going on in this country.”
The series, based on the “Game Changers” book series, centers around two rival professional hockey players, Canadian Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Russian Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), who embark on a passionate, secret romance.
Walsh credits the show’s success to several factors.
“Well, first of all, it’s audacious,” he says. “I mean, it’s very bold, right?” But “at the end of the day,” it’s a show about love, he adds.
The “Superman & Lois” alum recalls that series creator and writer Jacob Tierney told Walsh that he wanted him to approach his role “with compassion,” especially when Shane reveals his sexuality.
“The wheels are spinning,” Walsh remembers of Tierney’s advice. “You have to absorb this. But there’s a kindness and a decency when this lands that I think that it, combined with how bold it is, gives a lot of people…I don’t know…it’s a feel-good show at the end of the day.”
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