It seems like a couple of fictional gay hockey players have taken over the world.
Heated Rivalry has become the surprise hit television series of the season – and made absolute stars of its two frontmen, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie.
But did you know that Storrie was working as a waiter in an L.A. restaurant just before getting the part of Russian hockey player Ilya?
The Los Angeles dream.
Storrie confirmed that he was working paycheck to paycheck as a waiter at Laurel Grill in Culver City right up until he was cast as Ilya – and admitted that he wasn’t the best at his job.
“I did a f–king bad job,” Storrie told Variety. “I dropped the ball, so I got another bad review. My boss sat me down, being like, ‘This is not acceptable. This is a final warning. If anything like this ever happens again, you’re out.'”
Literally minutes later, Storrie said that his agent called and told him that he landed the Heated Rivalry part. Storrie didn’t stick around for much longer.
“I worked a few more shifts and then was like, ‘See you!'”
No one knew just how massive Heated Rivarly would become, and Storrie surely didn’t know how his life would change forever.
And he wasn’t the only one.
Hudson Williams, Storrie’s costar, had a similar path. The Canadian actor worked as a server at The Old Spaghetti Factory when he landed the part of Shane.
What’s on the menu at Laurel Grill?
The Culver City spot opened in October 2024 and offers guests a wide array of menu items like briskey dip, pork ragu pastas, oak-fired pizzas, themed cocktails like The Gangster and Main character, and homemade apple and berry pies.
You can no longer catch Connor Storrie there, but it still might be worth a visit.