Production on the second season of Crave’s breakout hit drama Heated Rivalry is officially underway in Toronto, and the series is dramatically broadening its footprint. Following the recent casting announcements of Justice Smith (Harris Drover) and Charlie Gillespie (Troy Barrett), Crave has unveiled five major additions to the Season 2 ensemble: Emily Hampshire, Edvin Ryding, Robert Naylor, Sabrina Jalees, and Canadian drag icon Priyanka.
The new wave of casting indicates that Season 2 will expand significantly into author Rachel Reid’s broader Game Changers novel series-specifically pulling storylines and characters from The Long Game, Role Model, and Tough Guy. Among the new additions, Schitt’s Creek star Emily Hampshire steps into the role of Vanessa, a fan-favorite character introduced in Tough Guy, while Swedish actor Edvin Ryding (Young Royals) joins as Luca Haas, a rookie player on the Ottawa Centaurs. Comedian Sabrina Jalees (Search Party) will portray sports agent Farah Jalali, who represents lead characters Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, while Robert Naylor (Cardinal) enters the locker room as Ottawa Centaurs goaltender Wyatt Hayes.
Among the new announcements, Priyanka’s casting has generated substantial social media buzz due to her unique path to scripted television. Before adopting her stage persona and making her mark in drag, performer Mark Suknanan built a career in Canadian broadcasting as a flagship host on YTV’s long-running afternoon programming block, The Zone. After pivoting to drag, Priyanka rose to international fame by winning the inaugural season of Canada’s Drag Race in 2020, eventually becoming a recurring judge on Canada’s Drag Race All Stars. Joining the cast of Heated Rivalry as Vanessa’s roommate, Tarek, marks one of her most prominent mainstream scripted acting roles to date.
Created by Jacob Tierney, Heated Rivalry became an international sensation during its first season, sweeping major Canadian Screen Awards and earning both a Peabody and a GLAAD Award. Season 2 sees core leads Hudson Williams (Shane Hollander) and Connor Storrie (Ilya Rozanov) return to navigate the next decade of their complex relationship, balancing their secret romance with evolving careers on and off the ice.
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