Heated Rivalry 2‘s newest cast additions have fans anticipating the sequel to the HBO show. The new season will continue the story of Hudson Williams‘ Shane and Connor Storrie‘s Ilya. However, the sequel will also follow the dual-storyline structure and introduce new main characters like Harris Drover and Troy Barrett.
In a recent report by The Hollywood Reporter, Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie will play the roles of Drover and Barrett, respectively. These characters are part of the author Rachel Reid’s Game Changers universe.
In the story, Barrett is a professional hockey player who is traded to the Ottawa Centaurs, and Drover is the team’s social media manager. The duo takes center stage as the main leads in Reid’s fifth novel, Role Model.
According to the report, showrunner Jacob Tierney and executive producer Brendan Brady mentioned that the two new additions “connected with the vulnerability and resilience at the core of these characters, bringing an instinctive understanding of who Harris and Troy are.”
Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie’s biggest roles before Heated Rivalry
With the success of Heated Rivalry, their roles in the upcoming season would mark a major milestone in their career. However, both Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie have had their big breakthroughs in their previous works.
Smith is well known for starring as Tim Goodman in Pokémon: Detective Pikachu and as Franklin Webb in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. The rising star is also known for his role as Charlie in the third installment of the Now You See Me franchise. He starred alongside Elle Fanning in All the Bright Places and alongside Chris Pine in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. The American actor’s acting credits include The Voyeurs, I Saw the TV Glow, Sharper, and Generation.
Gillespie is known for his role as Luke Patterson in Julie and the Phantoms and Brian in Charmed. The Canadian actor is also well known for starring alongside Dakota Johnson and Kyle Marvin in Splitsville. His other acting credits include One Night Only, Sidelined 2: Intercepted, Soul’s Road, Shattered Ice, Totally Killer, Suze, and Deltopia.
Although their characters lead Reid’s fifth novel, the storyline of Heated Rivalry two will be based on the author’s sixth novel, The Long Game. Season 2 of the HBO show is slated to premiere in April 2027.
