Heated Rivalry's Sophie Nelisse Recalls Filming Shane's Coming Out Scene With Hudson Williams

Sophie Nelisse is looking back on filming a pivotal scene for Heated Rivalry.

The 25-year-old actress plays movie star Rose Landry in the hit Crave series and is recalling filming the episode five scene with Hudson Williams where Shane Hollander comes out to her.

In a new interview, Sophie opened up about what it was like filming that day with Hudson.

Keep reading to find out more…

“When we saw how well the audience connected to that scene and how it resonated with them, I was very touched and emotional and and happy because we all need someone like Rose in our life,” she tells the Never Offside podcast. “I mean, we all keep a lot of things bottled up inside, and I think, I mean as individuals it’s really easy to feel very isolated in our emotions and what we’re going through and feel like no one can really understand.”

“It’s hard to be the one that kind of makes the first move, because you never know how that can be perceived. And so, that she sees him for exactly who he is and loves him unconditionally is like the most generous act of human kindness that you can have,” Sophie continued. “Loving someone unconditionally. To find those people in your life that will accept you no matter what is is so precious and so special.”

As for filming the scene, she went on, “I think we both wanted that scene to feel very honest, very real. I remember, actually, we didn’t even… ‘Cause what happens usually is you’ll run the lines once, you’ll rehearse it often before actually doing a take, and I mean, Hudson and I share a very similar sense of humor where we like kind of mess around a lot and just shoot sh-t at each other. And so we kind of just did the scene and we changed almost all of the lines. We kind of just were having fun with it and we’re like bantering but we weren’t actually saying the scripted lines.”

“I remember all of the cast, the crew being like, ‘Where’s this going?’ And them being like, ‘What is this take going to look like when they start doing?’ We actually have not rehearsed,” she added. “Ran it the first time and it just felt so easy. Hudson was so generous in his performance, and just watching his inner struggle and watching him tear up and feel how conflicted he was. I mean, made me almost tear up naturally.”

“There was just this great sense of we both really listened to each other. And something that Jacob [Tierney] mentioned to us before doing the take is like, ‘Don’t be afraid of the silences, of the moments of stillness.’ I think support sometimes can actually be quite quiet,” Sophie said. “I think we just wanted it to feel as, you know, just like a river flowing and it really, it is like the magic kind of just appeared very, very naturally. Obviously, then we did more and more takes, but yeah, there was something that just felt effortless about shooting that scene seemed to the word magic definitely.”

Sophie also shared that Jacob had brought the role to her, much like Francois Arnaud, as they were originally supposed to work on another project together.

She also talked about filming the club scene on her first day on set, and even her hopes for Rose in season two.

Sophie dished that she’s talked with Jacob about maybe making her more of an on-screen presence with in-person moments between Rose and Shane, as opposed to just in text and on the phone like it is in the book.

“I think the same way I’m Hudson‘s like biggest fan and cheerleader, I want Rose to be that for Shane. I want her to be like her biggest support system. I mean, obviously with the help of his family, but like I just want her to be there and cheering him on, like still going to his games, still being that safe space that he feels like he can confined into,” she dished. “So yeah, I think they’ll stay very close and maybe she’ll be the one that he can kind of let his guard down and and share his deepest secrets with.”

If you missed it, find out the latest news on Heated Rivalry season two!