Connor Storrie, who plays Russian hockey player Ilya Rozanov in the gay romance/drama Heated Rivalry, sat down for some high-profile interviews ahead of last week’s season finale.
And in separate chats with GQ Magazine and Variety, the 25-year-old shared about a few self-made videos he posted on YouTube when he was just 12 talking about his dreams of becoming an actor.
Storrie says the videos led to him being mocked at his West Texas school. For years, he says he was embarrassed by them but chose to leave them up anyway. Today, he embraces his 12-year-old self.
“It’s so cool to be at a different place in my life and be like, F*ck yeah,” he shared with GQ. “That is me. That is 12-year-old me trying something. I think it’s charming and cute.”
And he told Variety, “I love that little guy. I love him. I used to not like him.”
“I was this artist, sissy boy in West Texas that didn’t want to play football,” he added. “I wanted to play pretend and play dress up and disappear into weird worlds and entertain and try to connect with people that way, and that was just not the norm out there.”
His sexuality aside, I can’t stress how important this outlook on your younger self is. https://t.co/hOofP1v6NN
— Himberly (@himbo_anonymous) December 27, 2025
I also grew up in Texas. And I know something about being mocked at school, being called a “sissy.”
I wish I’d had a tenth of little Connor’s confidence and spirit. Going from hating his childhood self to loving that sissy boy in West Texas is a beautiful self-acceptance arc.
That self-acceptance was on full display in this behind-the-scenes clip shot during his chat with Interview Magazine.
p.s. Storrie has avoided defining his sexuality publicly. And lip-syncing to Madonna does not make one “gay.” But his sense of freedom here in beautiful.
we’re witnessing a star being born……… everyone act accordingly https://t.co/XoZv9ZG7CO
— uncle gworl (@_uncle_gworl) December 27, 2025
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