Heated Rivalry star Connor Storrie to host Saturday Night Live
Listen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Follow Winter Olympic SportsPersonalize Your Feed Connor Storrie, one of the stars from the breakout Canadian hit show Heated Rivalry, is set to host Saturday Night Live this weekend. Storrie, who played Russian protagonist Ilya Rozanov in the hockey drama, announced his forthcoming guest appearance in a promotional video posted to social media. In the promo, Storrie is flanked by SNL's Sarah Sherman and Mumford & Sons, the show's musical guest. The video includes several spoof takes of Storrie's SNL announcement — a sign of the goofy entertainment that's to come. "Wow, you guys, I literally cannot believe I'm here," Storrie says in the first take. "I haven't even had any media training," he adds, before he dives into gag expletives that are censored by a long, loud beep."Please don't use language like that in front of the Sons," says Marcus Mumford, the frontman of Mumford & Sons. WATCH | Heated Rivalry creator on why the show isn't just smut:Heated Rivalry creator Jacob Tierney takes a break from writing season 2 to tell The National’s Ian Hanomansing about the show’s phenomenal success, and why it's so much more than just a gay, smutty hockey series.In another take, the group says in unison that they hope "to put on a good show that makes the audience smile."Sherman then adds, "And to get a big kiss from Connor."Storrie leans over and pretends to kiss Sherman, before Mumford & Sons dive into the action and the video cuts.It's been a huge year for Storrie, 26, who has been catapulted into the spotlight alongside his Heated Rivalry co-stars. The show, known for its steamy scenes, follows several professional hockey players who are navigating gay relationships in a hyper-masculine and heterosexual environment. Storrie, who is American, has garnered widespread praise for his Russian accent, in particular. Earlier this year, Storrie and his Canadian co-star Hudson Williams presented the award for best supporting female actor in a TV series at the Golden Globes. (Heated Rivalry wasn't eligible for a nomination because it was financed and produced in Canada.) The pair were also torchbearers for the recent Milano-Cortina Olympic Games.WATCH | Here's why Heated Rivalry is such a hit:The Canadian streaming sensation Heated Rivalry — which centres on a gay romance between two professional hockey players — has been a big hit with viewers, who have ranked it among the highest-rated episodes of all time on IMDB.Storrie is now set to join the elite ranks of SNL guest hosts, which include Ryan Gosling, Scarlett Johansson and Sabrina Carpenter. The show is due to air at 11:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
