Hudson Williams Is Hollywood’s Latest Power Play
By James Moreau | 14 Jan, 2026

Following his breakout role in the queer hockey sensation Heated Rivalry, Hudson Williams is proving that the future of Hollywood is both diverse and defiant.

Korean Canadian actor Hudson Williams broke through as the co-lead in the 2025 Crave and HBO Max series Heated Rivalry.  Centered on the electric romance between two competing professional hockey players, the series has been hailed as a pillar of the modern queer landscape. 

Heated Rivalry has garnered critical acclaim with a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 9.1 IMBD rating.  A second season has already been confirmed.

Williams revealed that the show prompted closeted professional athletes from American sports leagues to reach out privately to share how much the story resonates with their lives.

The 24-year-old officially hit the mainstream at the 2026 Golden Globes in which Williams appeared as a presenter alongside his co-star.  His meteoric rise has translated into a surge in his Instagram following from just 10,000 in October to 2 million today.

His previous appearances include supporting roles in the 2025 CBS action-drama Tracker, the 2024 CBC series Allegiance and Hallmark’s 2024 TV movie All I Need for Christmas.

Williams has joined the elite ensemble of the upcoming Netflix limited series The Altruists, which dramatizes the rise and fall of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

The British Columbia native was born to a Korean mother and father of European descent.

Williams’ recent success defies Hollywood norms in a media landscape in which Asians still secure only 3% of leading roles, even less for Asian males in romantic contexts.   His success reflects an increasingly multicultural society opening slowly to the full spectrum of human experience.