Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie and Shane and Ilya. (Sabrina Lantos/HBO) (sabrina lantos)

Heated Rivalry creator Jacob Tierney has revealed that stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie offered to do full-frontal nudity for season one, but he chose not to include it.

“I was like, ‘I’m not showing your d****,’” Tierney said, speaking to actor Andrew Rannells to promote his book I’ll Believe in Anything: The Making of Heated Rivalry Season 1 (The Annotated Scripts).

Tierney said Williams and Storrie were “very game” when it came to filming the show’s steamy sex scenes, and that both actors were willing to “show everything”.

He added that the decision came down to what he wanted to put on screen, rather than any reluctance from the cast.

Tierney told Rannells the choice was his, and recalled making that clear early on. “It’s about what I wanted to show,” he said, before adding: “I was like, ‘I’m not showing your d****.’”

He also spoke about the negotiations involved in filming intimate scenes, including how productions work around intimacy garments and performers’ boundaries.

Tierney discussed the role of intimacy coordinator Chala Hunter, saying: “So, that all happens long before we’re on set.”

He said he tried to write sex scenes “as specifically as I could” so there would be “no mystery as to what’s happening”, describing how stressful it can be when actors are told to improvise. “This is a nightmare,” he said. “I don’t want to improv my way through this.”

Tierney compared choreographing sex scenes to learning dance steps, so performers know the technical movements and what needs to be hidden and when. He also said he sent early drafts of scripts to actors and asked them to confirm they were comfortable with the material before filming.

The show’s sex scenes have been a major talking point since it blew up online, and in 2025 its NSFW reputation was already clear.

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