How Heated Rivalry’s Connor Storrie Perfected Ilya Rozanov’s Russian Accent 

Connor Storrie had a solid game plan when it came to embodying Ilya Rozanov. 

The Heated Rivalry actor and Texas native, who stars alongside Hudson Williams and François Arnaud in the Rachel Reid adaptation, has shocked fans with his flawless Russian accent and speaking abilities, and he shared practice really does make perfection. 

“It was about time and consistency,” Connor told Behind the Blinds in an interview released Jan. 5. “The moment I got out of the car on set, I started speaking with the accent to all the PAs, all the ADs, hair, makeup, and wardrobe people. I stayed in it until the last cut of the day. Not because I was ‘in character,’ but because it gave me an hour and a half to warm up.”

And while the 25-year-old has wowed fans with his portrayal of the Russian hockey star, he admitted the accent felt “ridiculous at first.”

“You think, ‘I don’t sound like that,’” he continued. “Of course you don’t. But if you normalize it—both for yourself and for the people around you—it starts to feel real. I think that’s why people convince themselves they’re bad at accents. They don’t give themselves permission to sound wrong at first.”