Loads of Heat, No Rivalry on This Red CarpetThursday was a strange day in Ottawa.
As news of Albertan secessionists meeting with Trump administration officials elicited reactions from the premiers meeting — British Columbia’s David Eby called it “treason,” and Alberta’s own Danielle Smith shrugged it off — a few blocks away a celebration of Canadian triumph was about to begin. And it yielded a viral moment of joy that felt like collective relief from the relentless news cycle Canadians have been subjected to for the past few weeks. I’m talking about the meeting between a beaming Prime Minister Mark Carney and Canada’s overnight superstar, Hudson Williams, the actor who plays Shane Hollander in the Crave series “Heated Rivalry.” [Read my Ottawa Dispatch: The Secret Sauce in ‘Heated Rivalry’? Canada.] I was there to witness it together with the photographer Cole Burston, and I wanted to share some more reporting on how “Heated Rivalry” came to be made, its profound Canadian-ness, and the soft-power moment that played out in Ottawa on Thursday night. The six-episode series has become a global television sensation, streamed in the United States and beyond by HBO Max, which purchased the rights from Crave about a week before the first episode aired.
It was adapted from a book series, “Game Changers,” by the Nova Scotian author Rachel Reid, and tells the nearly decade-long tale of two top male hockey players who fall in love but must keep their relationship secret. The Thursday event where Mr. Carney and Mr. Williams met was organized by Canada’s entertainment-industry body, the Canadian Media Producers Association. While the Canadian television and film industry has long been a powerhouse, it is hard to overstate the excitement in the room for the incredible success “Heated Rivalry” has achieved in the two months since it premiered. And perhaps no one was more hyped than Mr. Carney, who revealed a more playful side than the one that earned accolades in Davos, Switzerland. “Look, I’m a politician — I’m not above taking credit for the Canadian funding that helped you share this story with the world,” he said jokingly. “I may not have been here when the decision was made, but I’m here now! “I greenlit this thing — I stood up to the Americans,” he added, tongue-in-cheek, to uproarious laughter. As the series was entirely made and funded in Canada — through sources including the taxpayers’ contribution to the Canadian Media Fund — it is not eligible to compete for the Emmys in the United States. Brendan Brady, a producer of the show, told me that that’s fine by him. “We’ve already won,” he told me. “It would be amazing to be honored by the Emmys, but ultimately, we’re going to hopefully be nominated for a bunch of Canadian Screen Awards.” He added, “We’ll take those.” This was the spirit of the evening: confidence in Canada. The industry’s annual revenue is north of $10 billion, and one of its main occupations is helping make American films.
Sean Cohan, the president of Bell Media, which owns Crave, told me that “Heated Rivalry” was proof that it was time to make more “capital C” Canadian shows — shows not just made in Canada, but featuring Canada. “I’ve been going around for the past couple of years like a hype man,” he said, “advocating for bigger and more. We’re just getting started — it’s exciting.” And there was special love reserved for Ottawa, the fictional birthplace of Shane Hollander and, according to the books and foreshadowing in the finale, a central location in the show’s second season. (The first season was filmed mostly in Hamilton, and the hockey scenes were shot in Guelph). “I go to Ottawa in the summer,” said the actress Sophie Nélisse, who has a supporting role in the series and was raised in Montreal. “I love walking by the canal. These are my people. It’s amazing.” She added: “I grew up on Canadian TV shows and Canadian films, and I feel very close to those. I know how hard we work and how passionate we are about our projects. So it feels like we’re finally getting the recognition that we deserve.” Canada has lost a legendCatherine O’Hara, an Emmy Award-winning comedic actress and a titan of Canadian television, has died. Ms. O’Hara, who was born in Toronto and raised in suburban Etobicoke, was 71. Many of you would know Ms. O’Hara from her scene-stealing role as Moira Rose on the Canadian sitcom “Schitt’s Creek,” which gave her a late-career revival. Read her obituary here and an appraisal of her singular style of comedy here. Canadians, co-stars and fans shared tributes to Ms. O’Hara. Review her life in photos and discover where to stream her best performances. You can listen to Ms. O’Hara read a piece from The Times’s Modern Love series here. Trans Canada
This section was compiled by Vjosa Isai, a reporter based in Toronto
Matina Stevis-Gridneff is the Canada bureau chief for The Times, leading coverage of the country. She has watched “Heated Rivalry” seven times and counting. We’re trying to get her back from the cottage. How are we doing? Like this email?
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