Heated Rivalry star Kaden Connors on life before Sasha, filming with Connor Storrie and his religious upbringing (EXCLUSIVE)
In this exclusive interview with Attitude, Connors talks about intimate scenes with his Heated Rivalry co-star Connor Storrie, a religious upbringing that somehow continues to influence his work today, and his hopes to return as Sasha in series 2 of Jacob Tierney's gay hockey show
By Aaron Sugg
Kaden Connors, the 30-year-old actor who briefly stole viewers’s hearts as Sasha in Heated Rivalry, is quickly becoming one of Canada’s most talked-about stars. With just under a decade in the industry, Connors shot to stardom following the unintentional casting that would ultimately change his life forever.
Originally auditioning for the role of Ilya Rossenoff, Connors tells Attitude that he felt an emotional connection to the character before the part ultimately went to Connor Storrie. The actor, who grew up in a conservative, religious household, says that, although he is secure in himself and his career, he still feels the lingering weight of unchanging family expectations.
Now appearing in the LGBTQ+ film Lunar Sway, screening at BFI Flare, Connors is no stranger to championing queer representation on the big screen, and in fact, he strives to do so. In this exclusive interview with Attitude, Connors talks about intimate scenes with his Heated Rivalry co-star, a religious upbringing that continues to influence his work today, and his hopes to return as Sasha in series 2 of Jacob Tierney’s gay hockey series.
Attitude: Did you always envision yourself taking on LGBTQ+ roles, or was there a time when you thought that may not be a part of your future?
Connors: I’ve always wanted to, to be honest. I really love when my artwork is helping the world and helping people. And obviously it’s a major thing to kind of get LGBTQ+ stories told. So to be a part of that storytelling is just a great honour. It’s just a wonderful thing to represent that.
Was there a time when you questioned being a visible face for the LGBTQ+ community?
I think it’s definitely something every person, every artist, will think about. It’s a really sad reality, I think, in a lot of industries, where people are afraid that as soon as they step into something they can’t step out of it and, you know, it’s going to shift people’s perspectives. Especially with acting, there’s this whole idea of being pigeonholed and being like, “Oh, they’re only known for this now.” Often the industry can do that and has been known to do that.
But honestly, even if it was there, it never really lasted long. I really, really feel that this is what I want to do, and this is what matters. I don’t know, when you do this kind of work, you’re already working with sensitive material. It doesn’t matter what it is. So just do it.
Do you feel any different auditioning for straight roles?
I do and I don’t. I mean, it’s just playing a person. At the end of the day, labels can be really helpful, especially when you’re trying to normalise things within the community. But then there’s also the aspect that, when you break it down, you’re just like, “I’m just a person playing a person. I’m an actor.”
And what I’m supposed to do with my work is portray this character in a believable, honest and truthful way, whether it’s my story too or not.
So yeah, I think for the majority of my career in the beginning, it was a lot of straight roles. I think also there are just a lot more straight characters in casting breakdowns and things like that.
You previously said you related to Ilya’s character in Heated Rivalry, telling Attitude that you yourself grew up with a religious, conservative family. Talk to me about your childhood and your coming out story.
Yeah, it was crazy. I really feel like so much of my life has shifted. In a good way. I really do believe change is good. I think people who are open to change, people who go through a journey in life and explore and discover themselves and the world – I think, A, it’s so much fun, and B, it’s really like the journey of us being human on this planet, to lean into that and to figure those things out.
But yeah, I think for me, coming from a super religious, conservative background, it was all you knew. And it was something that was comfortable and safe. A lot of my bubbles were all just that. It was like all the same people, churchgoers, etc.
And it was good until the moment you realise you need to actually – like, for me, it was like there’s an entire world outside of this that you didn’t realise for so long. And when you meet people from different backgrounds and different stories and different upbringings – a lot of it happened, too, when I started to travel. I love to travel.
And then you really realise that there are so many other lives lived and so many other ways to approach this. There’s not one way to do it. You just need to find the way that works for you, that feels most aligned.
It was really tough because going through my journey and discovering my own identity and orientation, it felt like hitting walls left, right and centre because everything was shaped out for you. And then all of a sudden, as soon as it’s like, “Oh, this isn’t aligned,” it comes up against a lot of things. And so it can be like growing pains. It can be tough, I think, for a lot of queer people coming from these kinds of backgrounds. But I think it just makes you a stronger person.
So, for me, in my own journey, on the side as an artist, I just look at it and go, this is my story and I love it. And I think it makes me a stronger person for having walked through it. And I use it in my work as an actor.
Let’s go into a bit more detail. How old were you when you came out? Who was the first person you came out to? What was it like coming out in the church?
Yeah, so I would say in my kind of young adulthood – I can’t remember, maybe early 20s – I had a friend who had a similar journey, and I think we were each other’s trusted spaces for a long time. They were also in the church. And that was kind of our only point of safety for a while, because I think there’s a lot of fear that surrounds that. It’s just so sad, but it is the nature of these things.
I kind of stepped away from religion. At the time, I was stepping into myself and discovering myself. So I didn’t really ever go through that process in the church or within that community.
You spoke to Attitude about your hopes to reappear in Heated Rivalry series 2. What are your hopes for Sasha going forward in the Heated Rivalry universe?
Definitely an element of sympathy. It’s really tough because people who are going through scenarios like that don’t want to project their own trauma or issues onto other people that they’re encountering in life. And I think that there’s so much that Ilya has – this baggage and kind of this underlying thing that he is not trying to bring into this world he wants to make for himself with Shane and other characters through hockey. So I think it’s definitely that journey.
There’s a lot of empathy there. It’s not easy. And you really are only as strong as the people around you who love you and care for you and support you. That’s why it’s so important for people to have a community, whatever size or whatever that looks like, because we can only ever do it alone for so long.
Yeah. And no one – no one should ever be alone, should feel alone like that. So that’s why I’m a huge advocate for the queer community: stop the infighting. For so long, the whole world said, “you don’t belong here”. So how can we start saying that to each other?
Who would you say is your biggest support circle?
My biggest support circle is some of my family and, honestly, just like my ride-or-die best friends.
You say some of your family. Why just some?
Because I think, you know, a lot of my family was kind of in a religious community, and they were very happy there. So I think it just comes with some things just not aligning with their worldviews and stuff. But, you know, there’s a level of learning to love people and kind of engage with them in life, even if you don’t agree with what they do, or vice versa. You know, it just takes mutual respect.
What are your hopes for Sasha going forward in the Heated Rivalry universe?
Okay, so to clear up, because I do not want this to come back on me: I actually cannot confirm Sasha makes a return. But there’s totally a way that Sasha could come back in the Game Changer series. But what do I envision? I mean, I think a lot of people see him as potentially a problem child and like a potential issue in Ilya’s life that would just mess up Shane and Ilya’s relationship. Which is true to some degree.
But I think the most beautiful and amazing thing would be if Sasha were to go through his own journey being in Paris. To see him going through his own learning curves and whatnot. And then on the other end being a support for Ilya.
I think when you go through The Long Game – spoilers – Ilya feels alone, even with the love of his life there with him. There’s so much loneliness in him, and he does not have the same kind of circle that even Shane has.
So it would be amazing if Sasha somehow came back in and was somehow a support, not in a way of bringing up the past, but in a way of friendship. Because I do think the stronger choice is that they cared for each other. I don’t think it was just them being young and curious. Sure, it happens, but obviously that’s a weaker choice. They cared for one another.
Intimacy is a huge part of the series. How do you prepare for something like that, particularly with Connor Storrie?
Yeah. We had an intimacy coordinator on set. So what ends up happening is scripted and kind of decided on by Jacob and the creative team. But as the actor you also get to explore that. As the actor you naturally and organically find that journey from A, B to C.
When it comes to jumping into that as the character and understanding the scene, I think intimacy just is in everything, truly. And I think that when we say intimacy, it is just one specific expression, such as sexual interaction. Intimacy, whatever you want to call it, is just one specific thing, but it’s just energy.
Like, when we come into a scene, there’s desire, there’s intention. As an actor you have to think, “What do I want from this character? What is my intention with this character?” The scene could be as mild as just flirting, or even physically touching. But there’s still this energy that you have to create between each other, and this chemistry.
Often a lot of it is discovered on set in the moment. But then when it comes to the prep, you just draw on experiences. You use the tools you have as an actor to get into the body.
Sasha had style and flow. I even had cologne on as a character choice, because it helped my senses getting into the character.
What is next for Kaden Connors?
A couple of things are coming down the pipe. There are some amazing indie projects in Canada. So as Heated Rivalry and now Lunar Sway is happening, it’s really exciting to kind of be on the release side of those things while also kind of back to the drawing board.
Do you think the Heated Rivalry fandom will enjoy your upcoming roles?
Yes. The ones I’m thinking of, I play two straight characters, straight dudes in a couple of series. The fans are amazing. And I’ve had people comment and say they can’t wait to follow my journey or say, “I can’t wait to see what else I work on.”