Exclusive
‘Heated Rivalry’: Shaheen Jafargholi Reveals Fondness for ‘Extraordinary’ Daniel Diemer
What To Know
- Heated Rivalry star Shaheen Jafargholi offers exclusive insight into his Season 2 filming experience.
- Plus, he reveals his fondness for costar Daniel Diemer as the duo play Tough Guy‘s Fabian Salah and Ryan Price.
- Heated Rivalry Season 2 will premiere in 2027.
Heated Rivalry Season 2 may be the next chapter in Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov’s (Connor Storrie) romance, but the Crave Original is making way for more love stories as the show adapts the relationships found in Rachel Reid’s other Game Changers novels, Tough Guy and Role Model, one of which we’re gaining some new insight into.
The love stories of Ryan Price (Daniel Diemer) and Fabian Salah (Shaheen Jafargholi), as well as Troy Barrett (Charlie Gillespie) and Harris Drover (Justice Smith), will add another layer to the TV universe like Season 1’s exploration of Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) and Kip Grady (Robbie G.K.). And although the cast is sworn to secrecy surrounding spoilers, Jafargholi did offer some sweet sentiments about his onscreen partner Diemer.
“The show is obviously just a crazy phenomenon, and to get to say I am now a part of that show is just super, super cool,” Jafargholi puts it plainly. “The experience has been fantastic. Everyone has been incredibly kind, and the job itself has just been really fun to do,” the actor offers.
Harlequin, Alan Howard, Adam Hendershott
When it comes to working opposite Diemer, Jafargholi says he’s “super, super fond of Daniel,” adding, “he’s an extraordinary actor and a really, really kind and generous person both on screen and off.”
As filming for the season continues in Canada, Jafargholi shares, “There’s just nothing bad I can say about the whole experience. It’s been incredible.”
Meanwhile, we couldn’t resist asking about the audition process after Jacob Tierney recently revealed at a talk for the release of his book, I’ll Believe in Anything: The Making of Heated Rivalry, that one of Season 2’s new couples had so much chemistry over Zoom that there was a bevy of blushing going on. But even indicating whether Jafargholi is within the auditioning pair Tierney was referring to or not was too much to hint at. “No, I can’t say,” he admits sheepishly.
Interpret the answer however you wish; Jafargholi’s small tease about filming is sure to excite fans eager to see Ryan and Fabian’s romance onscreen. For those who haven’t read Tough Guy, the story follows hockey player Ryan Price as he reconnects with childhood crush Fabian Salah, who is a successful musical performer. Newly traded to Toronto, Ryan is learning his way around town with the help of Fabian’s guidance.
And for fans who have read The Long Game, Ryan and Fabian make memorable appearances as they cross paths with Shane and Ilya. In the meantime, before Jafargholi makes his grand entrance as Fabian on Heated Rivalry, catch him as the ambitious lawyer Saeed Masood in Season 1 of HBO‘s legal drama War.
Heated Rivalry, Season 2 Premiere, 2027, HBO Max
