3 January 2026
Watch Heated Rivalry’s Hudson Williams in Hold Your Back and Dogging (Full Films)
Before his breakout role of Shane Hollander in Heated Rivalry, Hudson Williams had a few small TV roles in series such as Allegiance and Tracker. However, he didn’t wait for the big break to simply happen and while he worked as a waiter at The Old Spaghetti Factory restauarant in Metro Vancouver (New Westminster), he was also incredibly busy writing, directing and producing short films. You have to admire his get up and go attitude. So if you have been wondering what Hudson Williams appeared in before he became famous (almost overnight, really), here is one very fine example. He does look a little younger in it, but the hair cut is the stand out - very cool!
One of the films he produced in his pre-fame years is Hold
Your Back. Filmed in 2024, it was written
and directed by Zack Fonzovs (who also stars in it with Hudson) it tells the
story of a gay couple on the brink of breaking up. To complicate matters, there is a baby
involved. The short does contain scenes of domestic violence, in case you need
a warning. Hudson and Fonzovs both give
incredibly strong performances in this five minute film. Landing in media res, we never
get the whole picture of how events escalated or indeed how things will
ultimately end for this couple. Yet what we do see is the aftermath of an emotional explosion which then leads to another.
Fonzovs (above with Hudson Williams) describes his reason for releasing this film now. “I made this film back in 2024 for the Shits N Giggles Film festival. Hudson Williams is the reason this movie exists. I had an idea about two men going through a violent yet passionate breakup up, and he filled me with enough passion and help to go through with its creation. So with his newfound and well deserved recognition, I figured why not give the world more of the brilliant Hudson.”
Although made in 2024, the film has only just seen the light of day since it was shown at the film festival for which it was made. As Fonzovs admits: "it's just been living on my hard drive". It should really have been on YouTube all along, truth be told. It is just way too good to have been gathering edust on a computer. However, one enterprising Wikipedia editor has already listed it as a 2026 film on Williams' Wikipedia page! Perhaps they should change that - and at the same time create a page for Zack Fonzovs!
One of the commenters about this short says “thanks i didn’t wanna start the year happy anyway”. That does kind of sum up the feel good factor, here! Another said “Came for Hudson, stayed for the heartbreak. I see the vision.” True, true. However, I think my favorite comment as curator of Kuriositas, which has hosted so many short films over the last sixteen years is this: “i love how hudson's work is introducing people to this whole other world of film outside of the mainstream. all these creative, unique short films are proof that anyone can do this and you don't have to wait for a big studio to accept you in order make the art you wanna make, you can just go out there and do it yourself."
Watch Hold Your Back below.
After that, let's have some light relief. One film that hasn't yet made it onto William's Wikipedia page is Dogging, made (I believe) just shortly before he was offered his breakout role in Heated Rivalry. It tells the story of a Swedish journalist (played by the director of Hold your Back, Zack Fonzovs) investigating Dogging - which may not be quite what you expect. In it, Hudson Williams plays Rex, a dog. Well, a human being paid to pretend to be a dog. Proof below showing Rex being unwilling to take a bath!
As one commenter says: "goddamn Hudson you are HOT dog!
lol these skits are way too funny, I am dying. you guys are crazy and I love
it". The film was directed, produced and written by Hudson Williams (yup, more to him than meets the eye - and a lot meets the eye in this) and Mark Masterton.
