British American Olympic freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy, who made history as the first openly gay extreme sports competitor when he came out in 2015, said he was “so moved” by Heated Rivalry‘s depiction of closeted queer athletes.
In an extensive Q&A with The New Yorker ahead of his fourth Olympic games in Milan, Kenworthy noted the parallels between the runaway Crave Canada hit and his life, as both a private individual and public-facing athlete.
“At first, I didn’t understand the big deal. It was fun to watch, but it was sort of smut. I honestly thought, ‘All these thirsty gays! Y’all are just horny.’ Like, you could watch porn? People kept telling me, ‘Just wait — it tugs on the heartstrings.’ And then it did,” he said.
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Particularly, Kenworthy — who has also forayed into acting in recent years with appearances in American Horror Story and 80 for Brady — felt represented by François Arnaud’s standalone episode “Hunter,” which focuses on the clandestine romance between another pro hockey player and a smoothie bar barista Kip (Robbie G.K.).
“The third episode changed things for me,” Kenworthy, who won the silver medal in men’s slopestyle at the Sochi games, recalled. “I actually wrote a message to the show’s creator [Jacob Tierney] because I was so moved, and didn’t expect to be. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen myself reflected onscreen like that, in such a substantial way. The parallels are kind of insane. I also had a secret relationship with these clandestine meetings and hookups. And Miley Cyrus was my own Rose [Sophie Nélisse’s movie star character in the show, who has a brief but public relationship with Hudson Williams‘ Shane Hollander], this famous person that I was suddenly linked to, and as much as I kind of wanted it — because that’s the person you would want to be with if you’re straight, someone successful and beautiful and talented — it’s not the same as when you’re with a guy.”
“And then the Scott Hunter character — I really related to him. He wanted to be out, but really, just truly felt like he couldn’t be, because of his circumstances. That was me for so many years. I had the same yearning — to be in love, to be public, and to not have to hide,” he concluded.
Kenworthy, who will be staging a comeback in Milan as part of Team GB, also joked he was available to appear in Season 2. “You know, I played hockey through high school. I can skate, and I know how to handle a stick.”
The sleeper hit, which streams in the U.S. on HBO Max, has gone global since its premiere late November, catapulting its main stars Williams and Connor Storrie to overnight celebrity (just this morning, the duo carried the Olympic torch in Italy) and sparking important conversations about hegemonic masculinity in elite sports. Williams has spoken about being sent “lovely anonymous emails” from closeted pro athletes competing across hockey, football and basketball, while some out athletes have touted publicly what the show means to them.