Editor’s note: The below interview contains spoilers for Heated Rivalry Episode 4.

Heated Rivalry has become the internet’s new streaming obsession in more ways than one. It helps, of course, that the Crave Original series (airing on HBO Max in the U.S.) has a built-in fanbase thanks to the bestselling romance books it’s adapting from author Rachel Reid, but creator, writer, and director Jacob Tierney (of Letterkenny fame) has already brought several fan-favorite moments to life onscreen. No scene might be more anticipated than in this week’s episode, “Rose,” which sees professional hockey rivals and secret lovers Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) reaching a definitive crossroads in their affair — one that could be a make-or-break point for the future of this romance.

Ahead of the premiere of “Rose,” Collider was given the opportunity to speak with Williams and Storrie about some of Episode 4’s biggest moments. Over the course of the interview, which you can watch above or read below, the show’s stars explain why they didn’t feel any added pressure to get certain book scenes right, why Shane freezes up on Ilya in the aftermath of their most vulnerable exchange yet, the experience of filming that slow-mo Ciel club scene, and more.

COLLIDER: This episode has a moment that I think a lot of fans have been looking forward to. I’ve been seeing so many “tuna melt” comments, [but] it really is a good instance of how we see Shane and Ilya’s dynamic really switching into almost a sweet domesticity. Was there ever a sense of added pressure when approaching the scenes that are coming straight from the book, like a sense of really wanting to make sure that you got it right?

CONNOR STORRIE: I feel like I never really considered that too, too much. I think I just had a really strong vision of what I saw, and I really trusted Jacob [Tierney]. So I was like, “We’re going to bring this to life.” To be completely honest, too, I was, from the jump, ready to accept that my performance, no matter what it looked like, could be potentially disappointing to people who love the book, just because that’s the nature of it. Anytime a book is adapted, there’s going to be someone like, “That’s not what it should be,” online or whatever. So going into it, I already accepted that, and I think that freed me up to just be like, “This is what I think it is,” be open and present, know this character, and just go regardless of what element of the story it is.

HUDSON WILLIAMS: Yeah. I think Shane is feeling that fear of domesticity, and I think Jacob reiterated it. I remember him very pointedly saying on set, “This tuna melt scares you. When he says, ‘Do you want tuna melt?’ that has to freeze you.” Because up to that point, Shane, whether consciously or not, has sort of made bigger gestures of love or more confident gestures of romance that I think you see Ilya freeze up to up to this point. Then the fact that it looks like this — it looks like home life; it looks like a partner; it’s a big space; it’s open; it’s daylight as opposed to this dark shadowy hotel room — I think that open space scares him. For Shane, that’s the ocean, and he’s kind of drowning in it. And I think Ilya’s comfort with him terrifies him. That it looks like everything he wants is almost harder to accept than if it is this shadowy forbidden thing.

Hudson Williams Explains Why Shane Freezes Up on Ilya in ‘Heated Rivalry’ Episode 4

“I think there are a lot of things he can’t reconcile in that moment…”

Obviously, the steamy scenes in this show have been a big point of discussion, but I really feel like you can track the evolution of their relationship through those moments. In this episode, we get the time jumps to indicate that these two have really been off and on during the hockey season. They come together and then in the off-season they’re apart. But you see the moments when they start looking at their phones a little more often. There’s that yearning for a longer connection and there’s more vulnerability in this episode than ever before. This is the moment when they say each other’s first names for the first time and then we get Shane pulling away immediately in the aftermath. Hudson, I was curious about what you really wanted to convey about what we’ve sort of touched on already—the build-up to the moment when Shane pulls away from Ilya—and what’s going through his head?

WILLIAMS: There’s so much. I spoke of the acceptance almost like the open arms of Ilya or at least appearing so. But also, before that there’s the reminder that Ilya isn’t his. He talks about women and Svetlana in a very unabashed way that also terrifies Shane. It doesn’t make him feel like he can enter into this. There are conventions around him that he doesn’t feel inside.

There’s that conversation about “Do you like women?” Shane lies through his teeth and he doesn’t feel fully safe with Ilya in that conversation. But then there’s also tuna melt and there’s the first name. I think there are a lot of things that he can’t reconcile in that moment. In Episodes 1 and 2 he’s tried conversation and that really hasn’t proven to work so I think just too many things short-circuit in his little brain that he runs.

Connor, Ilya is also dealing with when and when not to express deeper feelings—and the call from his dad in that scene… it’s telling that when he comes back into the room and Shane asks about it, Ilya kind of downplays the moment and reaches for a physical connection instead of talking about his feelings. How did you want to play his avoidance of the topic when Shane tries to bring up his dad?

STORRIE: It’s so interesting because I didn’t even think of it as avoidance until you said that. To me, what that moment looked like was actually really feeling seen. I guess I didn’t see it as avoidance until you worded it that way. To me, it felt like “Whoa, this person is connected to me knows just enough about my life and is literally in close enough proximity to take in my energy and be concerned about me.” And then, I guess you’re right—it is avoidance.

But from that place kind of looking at it as Ilya or whatever—that felt like the next logical step almost like a thank you or something. It’s like if you like someone or you love someone and you’re having a beautiful moment—a kind of beautiful period to that moment is “You love me—you see me—thank you—let me embrace you.” But I guess you’re right. You should have been on there with me! That would have spiced it up a little bit.

‘Heated Rivalry’ Episode 4’s Club Scene Was More Technical Than You’d Think

“The emotions are kind of found in the moment…”

In the club scene that closes out this week obviously—the song took me back to a very specific time period—but it’s also this moment of the two of them sort of frozen in that space while the rest of the world is moving and dancing around them. I wanted to ask both of you about your experience filming that when you’re surrounded by strobing lights and so many extras while really locking in with each other.

STORRIE: Those sorts of days and scenes were actually really technical considering the lights—the amount of extras—the drinks—and all those factors. It’s so technical—and you’re kind of in that space all day long—that it comes down to emotions being found in the moment. It’s really about understanding—just listening—and trusting Jacob—being like “No—I need a little bit more depth to this” or “No—I need a little bit more confusion” or whatever else because a lot of that’s done in slow motion too. So much comes down to technique while being present in space while trusting Jacob’s direction. But also at that point, we had been with these characters for over a month so it’s pretty easy to lock in.

I’m sure people are going to be a little devastated by the split this week but also—as any good romance fan knows—it just means that the road to happily ever after is going to take longer.

STORRIE: It has to happen baby!