Heated Rivalry star Connor Storrie gets starstruck by a surprise visit from Andrew Scott on a podcast

Andrew Scott calling into Connor Storrie’s first podcast interview is the moment that makes the episode feel like a live, on-air reality check. Storrie joins Evan Ross Katz on Shut Up Evan to talk about the sudden attention around Heated Rivalry and what it has been like playing Ilya Rozanov while the show’s fandom reacts in real time. Katz steers the discussion through adaptation pressure, the split between book readers and newer viewers, and the craft work behind Ilya’s Russian-language dialogue.

The episode also nods to the internet’s fixation on the show’s intimacy scenes and the “America’s ass” chatter, without getting graphic. Earlier, Katz drops in surprise questions from Hudson Williams and Hannah Einbinder, setting up the same ambush format. Around the 41-minute mark, Katz reveals a surprise question from Scott, and Storrie blurts out “What” before trying to answer.

Andrew Scott's surprise call on Shut Up Evan turns Connor Storrie starstruck during the Heated Rivalry interview

Katz sets up the reveal with almost no warning. He says

“I want to bring in the fantastically talented Andrew Scott who has a question for you,”

Storrie immediately responds with a stunned “What” as the surprise lands mid-conversation. Then the voice on the line confirms it. Andrew Scott says,

“Hello Connor, it’s Andrew here. Congratulations on the show,”

The question is direct, but it arrives with the tone of an experienced actor talking to someone in a new spotlight. Andrew Scott asks Storrie about the performers he admired from childhood or from the start of his career. He also asks if Storrie has plans to do theater, and where he sees himself going after what he calls the show’s “enormous success.” Before signing off, Andrew Scott adds,

“Happy holidays,”

and acknowledges Katz with a quick hello. Storrie’s reaction stays unfiltered, and it becomes part of the segment’s appeal. He says

“What the… Oh my god. Wow. That’s crazy,”

Then adds,

“I love him.”

Storrie explains why the call hits so hard in a very practical way. He says he used to see Andrew Scott at Equinox in West Hollywood, but,

“never got up the courage to say hi.”

Katz says he will connect the two after the recording, while Storrie keeps repeating that it still does not make sense. Katz has to re-center the conversation because Storrie is still processing the moment while trying to answer. When he does, he frames his response as a mix of old-school performance study and current inspiration.

He cites Buster Keaton and a vaudeville-style approach as a major early influence. He names Cate Blanchett as someone he still admires. He adds Sophie Wilde as a performer he is watching closely, then jokes about liking Jack Nicholson growing up because they share the same “eyebrow thing.”

Even after he answers, Storrie keeps circling back to the same point. He says he still cannot believe that Andrew Scott knows who he is. In the episode’s flow, that reaction becomes the capstone of the ambush format, because Storrie is already talking about a career-changing speed, then gets interrupted by a voice he has been watching for years.

Why the Andrew Scott moment lands after Storrie explains Heated Rivalry pressure and prep

Before the call, Storrie explains how different audiences are watching Heated Rivalry in different ways. He says book readers often watch “contextually,” catching details that carry weight from the source material. Viewers who have not read it, he says, often react more to the tension and the “spiciness,” while book readers may see those same beats as part of a longer emotional journey.

Katz also asks about craft, including the Russian-language scene that becomes a key emotional beat for Ilya. Storrie says he spent “weeks” working on the Russian dialogue with a dialect coach.

He connects that prep to staying focused on Ilya’s interior life, including the character’s history and what he is carrying beneath the surface. In the same stretch of the episode, Storrie also says he limits how much he scrolls while the show is trending, describing the pull of the algorithm as something he has to manage.

The episode also nods to the extra attention around intimacy on Heated Rivalry, including the “America’s ass” chatter. Storrie says he did not expect that specific fixation. He frames it as part of the broader online noise that comes with a hit, and says he tries to stay informed without letting it take over his attention.

Who is Andrew Scott, and why does the Heated Rivalry call read like a career marker?

Andrew Scott is an Irish actor with a major screen and stage résumé, which is why the surprise carries instant weight. Many viewers know him as Moriarty in Sherlock and as the priest in Fleabag. He has also starred in All of Us Strangers and led Netflix’s Ripley as Tom Ripley. His profile also includes acclaimed theater work, including Olivier Award recognition.

For Storrie, that combination is the point. The call is more than a surprise segment. It is an established actor asking what he admires and what he wants next, right as Heated Rivalry is making his name travel fast.

Stay tuned for more updates.