‘Heated Rivalry’ Actress Christina Chang Talks Season 2 And Her Career

Yes, actress Christina Chang is currently turning heads and swooning hearts as Yuna Hollander, the supportive mother of professional hockey superstar Shane (played by breakout star Hudson Williams) on the global phenomenon that is Heated Rivalry, but she has been striving to play a wide array of characters for years – from her memorable work on television shows like The Good Doctor, 24, Revenge and more.

Born in Taiwan to a Chinese-Filipino father and an English-Scottish mother, Chang, 54, initially sought out to be a ballet dancer, but at the age of 13, she was told to wear a back brace for scoliosis, which abruptly stopped that career move. By her late teens, Chang moved to the U.S. to attend school, unknowing yet that acting would be a serious option in her future, though she knew that she was “looking for a creative outlet.” Initially studying theater, Chang began to pivot more towards television and film acting, but admits that she would be open to returning to her theater roots in the future.

Sitting down with Chang for a conversation over Zoom, I wondered how this Heated Rivalry series from show creator Jacob Tierney (a Crave Canada production that is streaming on HBO Max in the U.S.) initially got on her radar and if she was aware of Rachel Reid’s bestselling books before signing on.

Chang said, “I was not familiar with the books, in all honesty. I became aware of the project when they came to us with the offer. They gave all six scripts immediately and said, ‘Please read and let us know what you think.’ I read, I was titillated, I was moved. I had a good conversation with Jacob and I knew midway through the conversation, it would be something I’d want to do. I think our chemistry was there. He’s so witty and smart, which I really appreciate. We were on the same page from the get-go.”

Being that there is so much dramatic irony around Chang’s mother figure character of Yuna on Heated Rivalry, as she is seemingly unaware of her son’s sexuality and secret romance growing with his publicly perceived hockey rival Ilya Rozanov (played by breakout star Connor Storrie). So, how did Chang best approach her on-screen portrayal as Yuna, when Chang knows the truth within this story already?

“As I would with any script I have ever gotten, when we have prior knowledge to something and we have to act like we don’t,” Chang said. “You just have to be fresh every single time. You just have to keep being present within the words – the structure that you’ve been given, which was easy to do because of Jacob’s writing.”

Being a seasoned actress, well-before joining Heated Rivalry, I was curious how Chang would describe the highs and the lows of her career up to this point.

Chang said. “That it was just that – high and low, you know? I’ve been doing this for 25-ish years and there were some really exciting full years and then others that were a lot more lean. That’s when the work comes in, right? That’s when your other interests come in. That’s when you surround yourself with family, self-work – all the thick-skinned type of work that you have to do, in order to stay in the game.”

When I asked about her overall Heated Rivalry filming interactions, which has included veteran actor Dylan Walsh, who plays her husband David, she shared that “the whole experience from top to bottom was fantastic. It doesn’t matter whether this got picked up and became the global hit that it is or stayed in Canada, I would say the same. It was a fantastic experience. It felt like working on an independent film in the best way because it was a smaller group of people. We had less time to shoot and that’s just the framework in which we were working.”

Knowing that Heated Rivalry fans have really resonated with Chang’s dramatic performance as Yuna, especially during a pivotal scene in the season one finale, where Shane bravely comes out to his mom, I decided to surprise Chang with a special video message from her on-screen TV son, Williams, as he had a question ready to ask her.

Williams said in the video that he shared directly with me, “Hi, mama. Love you. My question is if stereotypes play anything in your acting journey and if you like embracing some certain Asian archetypes and playing them, being that you’re part-Asian – or if that most of your interest is just playing characters that have nothing to do with Asian, and how that comes into your work? Love you, mama. Bye-bye.”

Chang said after watching Williams’ video message, “In an ideal world, it is about the character, right? The freedom that a lot of actresses have and actors have is that they get to choose – Oh, I just want to be a superhero today or in the next month, I would love to be a doctor. Then, with those of us that are sort of a little bit more marginalized and have had a little bit more trouble in this industry getting noticed, it’s complicated. It’s tricky. There have been times – complete transparency – in my career where I had to take a job because it didn’t matter what the character was. I needed it because nothing had come along for a really long time. That was in my earlier years. I would say both is the answer.”

She added: “I’m interested in the character arc – the life lived and experienced by this character – but also, it’s important to represent the Asian community. I’m not just a woman and just half-Asian, right? I’m also somebody who has had the experience of living overseas and what they call a ‘third culture kid.’ There’s a whole group of people out there in the world that are considered ‘third culture kids’ who look like me, but lived in a different country. They’re Caucasian, but they lived in another country and felt like – Where do you belong? That’s here too in the United States – people that come from blended families, people who are mixed race. It’s just layers and layers of that. I’m interested in it all, but it is very important to tell stories – Asian stories, Asian American stories. I’m looking forward to sitting at the table where the decision makers are. That’s my goal.”

When I brought up with Chang how much the coming out scene in Heated Rivalry has meant to so people from all walks of life, with many vocalizing their appreciation across social media, as well as directly to Chang in private messages over the past few weeks, I wondered if there were any unique challenges that Chang, Williams and Tierney felt when crafting that compassionate and unapologetically human moment for the screen.

“Well, I will start by saying the original scene is not what we ended up doing – what you ended up seeing on-air,” Chang said. “It was equally beautifully written. It’s just that on the day, Jacob decided to rewrite it and it became better because it was more distilled. I think, at that point, the audience is ready for what you ended up seeing. So, Jacob was very smart and right to alter the scene a little bit.”

Chang continued by saying, “That scene was very important to me. I think it’s so important to see that’s a version that can happen, to reflect that has happened for some people and that it can continue to be something that happens for people. I’m hoping that scene isn’t underlying that experience, but that it can sort of normalize it.”

Seeing the fast fame surrounding her Heated Rivalry co-stars Storrie and Williams, I was curious how she feels that her fellow actors will be able to continue to navigate this newfound stardom within their lives today.

“Well, they’ve got me,” Chang said. “They got mom. So, I’m here to make the chicken soup. I have become their assistant. That is what I am. I think they are not going to shift in any way. I think they’re handling it incredibly well. When I talk with them or text with them, they seem like they’re in a good headspace. They’re very good about remaining relaxed through all of it, which I think is so important because that allows you to be present and take it in. I think they’re doing really well. I don’t think they need any advice from anybody yet, unless they ask. They’re exhausted – that’s all I know.”

With season two already announced at Crave, which will continue to stream on HBO Max, how will this Heated Rivalry cast and crew continue to maintain the “independent” feel that Chang described earlier surrounding season one filming amidst this worldwide popularity?

Chang said, “I put my trust completely in Jacob. I think they’re going to work really hard to keep it the same, in terms of the feeling on-set. I trust my co-stars. I don’t know who the new ones might be, but I trust them to make great decisions there, too. I’m just looking forward to the reunion – like the reunion on-set is going to be phenomenal. I’m very much looking forward to it and I’m not worried, in the least.”

As for what aspects of Yuna that Chang would like to see shown during Heated Rivalry’s second season, she revealed, “I would love to see her interact more with Connor – Ilya, and I think that will happen. I think because now they have been open with her and David, this opens them up a little bit more to their whole world. So, I’m just looking forward to potentially working with all of the other cast members, because up until now, I was only working really with Hudson.”

Interjecting that fans of the show will also enjoy Chang’s creative wants moving forward, knowing that Ilya’s mom died several years earlier, Chang added with Yuna in mind: “Oh, for sure. She has gained two sons now. So, she is going to be double the trouble in her wheeling and dealing!”

As I began to conclude our conversation, I asked Chang what she would like to say to Heated Rivalry fans – people everywhere that have championed her acting work on this beloved series.

“To all the fans, thank you so, so much. We can’t do what we do without you. Literally – if you’re not there to watch, we’re not on the air, so thank you so much. For those of you who have reached out to me, I am seeing your notes. I’m very slowly reading all of them. I’m just going through them, bit-by-bit, but to all of you who have sent me messages sharing your stories, thank you very much. I’m honored and I feel really grateful I get to play Yuna and that it has made such an impact in your lives.”

Rounding out with my signature interview question, which I also asked previously to Chang’s Heated Rivalry co-stars Williams, Storrie, François Arnaud and Robbie G.K., I was curious what Chang would say to her character Yuna, if only she could, especially following that emotional coming out scene with her son, Shane.

Chang said to Yuna with Shane in mind, “He’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay. Forgive yourself. It’s just gravy from here on out.”