Who Is Vanessa in ‘Heated Rivalry’? Her ‘Tough Guy’ Character Explained

Anticipation is reaching a fever pitch for the return of Crave’s breakout series Heated Rivalry. While the second season is still months away, the production has confirmed that Emily Hampshire will be joining the roster to play Vanessa.

The casting news first broke via Hampshire’s own social media, where she expressed her thrill at working with director Jacob Tierney. The actress is best known to global audiences for her role as Stevie Budd on the multi-award-winning comedy Schitt’s Creek.

Who is Vanessa?

Fans of Rachel Reid’s original Game Changers novels will recognize Vanessa as a standout figure from the book Tough Guy. In the source material, she is a feminist lesbian living in Toronto who manages a sex shop and writes a popular blog.

Within the narrative, Vanessa serves as a vital support system for the main couple, Ryan Price and Fabian Salah. Her inclusion suggests the TV series is widening its scope to incorporate more storylines from across the literary series.

Expanding the Heated Rivalry Universe

While the first season centered heavily on the sparks between Shane and Ilya, the upcoming episodes will introduce several new faces. Alongside Hampshire, the cast has added Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie as Harris Drover and Troy Barrett.

Other notable newcomers for the second outing include Edvin Ryding as Luca Haas, Sabrina Jalees as Farah Jalali, and Robert Naylor. Drag Race icon Priyanka is also set to appear as Tarek.

Emily Hampshire’s Road to the Rink

Hampshire brings a massive amount of experience to the set, with a resume that spans from voice work on Braceface to leading roles in horror and sci-fi hits like Chapelwaite and The Rig.

“Could not be more excited about joining #heatedrivalry S2,” the actress shared with her followers. She noted that she has been working toward joining the production for some time.