Justice Smith is asking fans to trust him with a character they already love. After his casting as Harris Drover in season two of Heated Rivalry sparked online grumbling about body type, the actor took to Instagram to promise he'll handle the role with care.

A Casting Rooted in Reid's Expanding Universe

Heated Rivalry built its first season on the second book in Rachel Reid's bestselling Game Changers series. Season two shifts focus to book six, "The Long Game," while weaving in Harris and Troy from book five, "Role Model." In that novel, Troy is a closeted hockey player traded to the Ottawa Centaurs, and Harris is the team's upbeat, openly gay social media manager, a fan favorite described as noticeably softer and cuddlier than the players around him.

Backlash Over Body Type

When Smith's casting was announced alongside Charlie Gillespie's as Troy, some fans quickly zeroed in on the mismatch between the actor's build and the book's description of Harris as pudgy. Social media filled with memes and complaints that a chance to spotlight a chubbier, out character on screen had instead gone to a conventionally lean actor. It's a familiar complaint in queer media, where fat visibility remains rare even in stories that center gay romance.

Smith and Reid Respond

Smith addressed the criticism directly in an Instagram Story, thanking fans for embracing him even amid the debate.

I am honored to play a character you all care about deeply and I promise I will take good care of him if you give me the chance.
Justice Smith

Reid, the books' author, backed him up publicly, pointing out that fans raised similar doubts about the season one leads before they became central to the show's success. Showrunner Jacob Tierney and executive producer Brendan Brady echoed that confidence in a joint statement, saying Smith and Gillespie "immediately connected with the vulnerability and resilience at the core of these characters."

MQ's Take

It's worth separating two things here. Wanting fat representation on screen, especially in queer stories where body-based exclusion is its own well-documented problem, is a legitimate and important critique. But this backlash is landing inside a fandom that has a documented pattern of turning casting disappointment into harassment. Cast members, including François Arnaud, have already had to publicly ask viewers to dial back racist and homophobic comments toward the show's stars.

Don't call yourself a fan if you share racist/ homophobic/ biphobic/ misogynistic/ ageist/ ableist/ parasocial/bigoted comments of any kind.
Heated Rivalry cast statement

Smith didn't get defensive, and Reid didn't dismiss the concern outright, she just pointed to the show's own track record of proving doubters wrong. That's probably the healthiest way through this: hold onto the critique about representation, but give the actor room to actually play the part before deciding he's failed it.

What to Watch

Filming on season two began this August, with a planned April 2027 release on Sky in the UK. Whether Smith wins over skeptical fans will likely play out the same way it did for his co-stars last year: once the cameras stop rolling and the episodes actually air.

Sources: Pride, PinkNews, Out

Cover photo: Criticologos, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Justice Smith Vows to Honor Harris Amid Heated Rivalry Casting Backlash