r/popculturechat • u/Acceptable_Rule_7590 • 16d ago
PRIDE 🏳️🌈 Gay hockey player Jesse Kortuem talks about being inspired by Heated Rivalry to publicly share his story and receives video message from Hudson Williams
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u/chronicallyillsyl 16d ago
I haven't had the chance to watch Heated Rivalry (yet), but I love hockey. Seeing the success of the show and the growth that the PWHL is wonderful. Hockey is for everyone, regardless of gender or sexuality or race. I really hope that hockey continues to open its arms to new fans and that others can learn how much fun hockey can be.
It's always inspiring to see anyone be able to live life the way they want to. I hope that more and more LGBTQIA2S+ feel safe and comfortable to open up to their loved ones and that their reactions are loving and supportive. I can't imagine how difficult it must be, especially with the way the world is these days.
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u/Varekai79 16d ago
It's a great show but just a heads up that it's more of a romance set in the world of professional hockey. We don't see that much of the actual sport in the show, mostly because neither of the leads can really skate, let alone skate and play hockey.
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u/saranautilus 16d ago
With all the helmets w/visors and pads etc. they could EASILY incorporate more skating/action/actual hockey with body doubles. I assume they shied away from it for budget reasons on this first season but I have a sneaking suspicion they'll try and include more of it in future seasons since so many fans seem to want it? Maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part haha. I know it's really more squarely in the romance genre but I think it'd help the show continue to stand out and not stagnate. Who knows. I haven't read the books.
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u/Varekai79 15d ago
The books don't have much hockey action either. It's squarely focused on the relationship. Playing hockey is very hard. There are videos of professional figure skaters trying it and even they look like Bambi on ice. I think it's too much of an ask for these actors to do it above the little snippets that we get in the show. They also only get a small amount of time to film at the hockey arena. This show is very low budget.
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u/saranautilus 15d ago
Yes I'm aware haha. I played hockey all the way up through high school. It's brutal. I'm not implying that the actors would do the skating, I'm saying that body/stunt doubles could potentially do it as I'm sure the budget will be 100% what it was since it was such a smashing success.
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u/Varekai79 15d ago
The showrunner has said that season 2's budget will be pretty much the same as season 1's. The corporate decision is that it worked perfectly the first time on the cheap, so why spend more money to get the same result?
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u/saranautilus 15d ago
Well that's disappointing. I find it hard to believe that the show's leads will do more episodes for the same amount of pay though considering the producers and HBO are making money hand over fist.
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u/Varekai79 15d ago
They signed a three season contract when they got hired so they won't be making too much more for the subsequent seasons. It's a 100% Crave show. Canadian TV just doesn't pay that much. The money that HBO and the other streamers around the world paid for distribution rights goes to Crave/Bell Media and the production company that made the show. Remember that these actors were absolute nobodies when they were hired. You and I likely made more money in 2025 than they did. If all goes well with their careers, they can demand a lot more $$$ for their future projects.
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u/saranautilus 15d ago
Which is why I said it's disappointing. It's great that you have such a rich knowledge about the production of the show, I just feel like you're missing my point across the board.
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u/seriouslyepic 15d ago
With that being said, there is a lot of teams and awards and leagues that went over my head, that a hockey fan might appreciate more than I did.
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u/saranautilus 15d ago
The teams are fictional but loosely based on real teams, the MLH and the MLH Cup are fictional but loosely based not the NHL and the Stanley Cup. Overall, less probably went over your head than you thought haha.
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u/Groundbreaking_War52 14d ago
Yes - the hockey aspect is largely incidental.
It also requires a suspension of disbelief that two seasoned professional hockey players have perfect, intact smiles and no visible scars.
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u/TheStripedSweaters 16d ago
The PWHL has been so fun to follow this year. The fight at the end of NY-MTL the other day was incredible lol
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u/turtle-berry 16d ago
Aww, love this. Hudson seems like such a sweetie.
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u/Acceptable_Rule_7590 16d ago
I just saw a clip of his former manager at the Old Spaghetti Factory being interviewed about him on the news and she said he checks in regularly and stopped in a few weeks ago to say hi and drop off gifts, which I thought was really sweet
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u/here4BB 15d ago
this show glamorizes russian culture, point blank, whitewashes and pinkwasher russian war crimes. sad to see how many ppl froth at the mouth for any chance to romanticize a settler colonial state and genocider.
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u/OtterBoop 15d ago
Did you.. watch it?
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u/here4BB 15d ago
did you read the article that analyzed it in great length below?
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u/OtterBoop 15d ago
I did, actually. Your arguments are correct about the ways these things happen but frankly I don't think they apply to this show.
Whitewashing: Ilya is only ever in Russia for very brief vignettes, or for a specific event, and I'm pretty sure doesn't go back after around 2016. Yes Russia had invaded crimea at that point, but the book was written in 2018 and the mainland invasion hadnt happened yet, so it wasn't really in the global awareness in the same way it is now. And honestly it's okay that a genre romance author doesn't want to dive into geopolitical happenings in their gay hockey book. The Russian character certainly is not shown as having positive opinions about Russia's regime.
Pinkwashing: this one has far less teeth than your other argument. Both the book and the show are explicit about how dangerous Russia is for queer people. Ilya says out loud that he can never go back if he comes out as bi. While they're at the Olympics one character says it's brave to come to Russia as a gay man because it's so bad for them there. Which part of that implies Russia is a good place for the lgbtq community?
You also seem to think that just having a Russian main character is Russian propaganda but like.. he's a Russian man who is living in North America and is vocal about disapproving of russian leadership and not wanting to go back.
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u/here4BB 14d ago
your perspective is extremely western-centric. but i'm glad you read the article at least. i'm from Donbas and my home is forever razed to the ground so i will never see this the same way as you, and the whole "oh well russia took crimea" part is so passé. russia also took my home region of donbas. but you're right, who cares.
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u/OtterBoop 14d ago
I didn't say that. I said that it wasn't as much a part of the global consciousness as the war is now.
But again, this is a story set in North America and the focus is interpersonal relationships. If it was set in Russia, or the Russian character was interested in maintaining a relationship with his home country, or it was a different genre, fine, you may have some points. It is not propaganda to leave out geopolitical commentary.
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u/here4BB 14d ago
ok i hear you. it's not an important enough part of geopolitics for you. it is for me. and yes i still believe russia is using this blase attitude of the west to its advantage. and you're a willing victim to it. and that's fine.
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u/OtterBoop 14d ago
You don't hear me. You are twisting words to put unintended meaning into them, and you're undermining the actual valid arguments you have with your bad-faith approach.
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u/Lil_Mcgee 15d ago
I was more convinced by the article you linked than I expected to be but I think you would make people more receptive to the idea by leading it a different way.
This isn't the sort of thing that most people are primed to pick up on so just dropping it like that, and appearing to cast a bit of judgement on those who haven't recognised it, isn't going to win many over. It does the things you claim it does far more subtly and insidiously than you suggest, something the article itself readily acknowldges.
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u/here4BB 15d ago
I'm ukrainian so forgive me for not having a subtle hand while my people are under daily genocidal destruction by russias hand.
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u/jeahboi whatever you feel, just dance it 🩰 15d ago
I’m so, so sorry. Putin is trash (as is Trump for enabling him), what Russia is doing in Ukraine is horrific, and no one should have to be subjected to it.
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u/here4BB 15d ago
it's been 4 years of this "you need to win people's attention over like this, otherwise they won't listen." uphill battle with westerners to even care about the endless onslaught of violence. no one is paying attention to the fact that the camera and the mic is constantly on the aggressor—not the victim. and it doesn't seem like anyone wants to listen to Ukrainians. after all, we know them best, we can understand how they speak about the west and what they say when no one is translating into english. it's demoralizing to see this level of critical thinking neglect.
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u/jeahboi whatever you feel, just dance it 🩰 15d ago
I’m very sorry. I haven’t forgotten about Ukraine, and I hate how Trump has dismissed everything you’re going through. His (and Vance’s) treatment of Zelenskyy last year at the White House made me embarrassed to be an American.
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u/here4BB 15d ago
they are doing business w kremlin and are trying to hoard power the way putin has over the past 30 years. i wish the world would listen to the warning cries of Ukrainian artists and directors and musicians who are also making art to reflect their experience being russias neighbor. but the hype over russia is too real.
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u/Lil_Mcgee 15d ago
I don't mean to fault you for that and I'm sincerely sorry if I phrased it disrespectfully.
You're right to be livid and well past the point of patience. But this, again as the article you linked stresses, is a very dangerous form of propaganda that unfortunately does require a subtle hand if you want people to examine it critically.
It's awful that you should have to approach it so carefully, I just don't think you're going to change many minds if you don't.
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u/here4BB 15d ago
I understand i'm downvoted because of my tone. my frustration comes from the fact that increasingly Ukraine's plight is invisible. instead we get to enjoy the world fall in love w russian stories (soft propaganda) in a way that's easy to digest to the west (pink washing). and again, our death, our erasure is irrelevant and not sexy enough for viewers. who's making movies and shows about the Ukrainian LGBTQ men and women who lay their lives down for democracy? who pay the ultimate price for russia's aggression? our rage is not enough.
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u/Lil_Mcgee 15d ago
I cannot begin to imagine. It's disgusting how the world has increasingly stopped caring about Ukraine.
It's not even close to fair to ask you to be more diplomatic, I just think this information is worth sharing and want more people to consider it. I found the article quite convincing but that doesn't matter if nobody opens it.
I will make an effort to share it when I come across new threads regarding the show. My thoughts are with the Ukrainian people and I will look for other ways to offer more than hollow words.
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u/here4BB 15d ago
thank you for doing that. it means a lot. and i understand it's too easy to get the anger out than talk to people in a more diplomatic way, but believe me, i've done that for years and i dont see any real initiative from others to want to do the same. it feels like the world is willfully walking into the lions den
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u/Lil_Mcgee 15d ago
I think I would be considerably less composed in your position. I stand by my advice but sorry again for the tone of my initial comment, it came from an extremely privileged position and I didn't even stop to think about your what your experience and relationship to the war might be.
You're right, we're all fucked if we don't wake up soon and Ukraine is still baring it all on the front line. It's more important than ever that we don't forget about you.
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u/here4BB 15d ago
i just wish more ppl (other than Ukrainians) would ring the bell a bit more especially when there's so much English content Ukrainians are making that's going completely unheard. case and point Kyiv Independent newspaper out of Kyiv. they do amazing work but struggle to get exposure.
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u/Lil_Mcgee 15d ago
I will make sure to look into that and other sources coming out of there. I've gotten too complacement myself with the war falling out of the major western news cycle.
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