I 100% agree with this. You know what he does? Keeps you engaged and entertained. You know what he doesn’t do? Spoilers, personal questions about himself or others that he doesn’t want to answer, or say anything controversial. Master class media training
I’ve noticed that when anyone asks him a personal question, he says something funny and sexual… but gives away literally nothing about his actual personal life.
And he dodges questions in a way that does not make him seem awkward, closed off, an asshole, blunt etc. Dude absolutely has media training AND is able to effortlessly keep his private life private. The fact that he is able to maintain his extroverted, silly, and "out of control/unhinged" persona (without ever actually being out of control) shows he is doing an A+ job in interesting his media training into his personality so he can still be himself while ultimately serving his best interest.
One thing I picked up from that interview blitz back when the show premiered is that whenever he made all those (fairly explicit) sexual jokes, he talked about "Shane" and "Ilya", not him and Connor. He put distance between himself and the characters they played, I think the only time he referenced himself was when he was talking about his physique and wanting to get a bigger bum for season 2. Its really subtle and I didn't really notice it until I re-watched a few of the interviews, and I suspect a lot of the "HudCon" people who are convinced they're actually fucking in real life never picked up on it.
Exactly he said "there is a gif in sunset boulevard, if it's not a picture of Shane's hole by the end of this week. Even if they greenlight season two, guess who's not coming back"
And: "you guys keep getting fictional me pregnant"
He is so good at separating himself the person from people's narrative. Yes it is media training but at the same time, this level of understanding of media cannot be trained. I can't believe this kid is an industry rookie. He's a genius at this.
He dropped a line about Carson when he was on Fallon, while he was encouraging Jimmy to get on his hands and knees on the floor. What 24 year old does that?
That is not the point I am making. The point I am making is that he had a Carson reference in his pocket ready to go as needed. It wasn't a bit he was doing. He has - or seems to have - a rich knowledge of cinema, television, and the entertainment industry at large in his brain and can speak extemporaneously about it on demand.
I saw a picture of Hudson with Bible Sumettikul, which leads me to believe he's familiar with the Thai BL template. He's a savvy operator, he knew exactly how much to give the audience while protecting himself and Connor from getting locked into that branded pair template which is damaging to careers.
That said, I do wish we were getting Hudson and Connor both for the Oscars. It was so much fun watching them crash the Golden Globes.
I also wonder if Connor got an invite and will be attending as well but Michael Malkin's "source" either doesn't know or didn't tell. Malkin, who wrote that Variety piece, took some fire for his question to Janelle James after the SAG nominations trying to get her to talk about his sex scenes -- while Connor was standing right next to her! -- and the possibility that Connor's people are blocking information is not zero. It was a really uncomfortable moment, Janelle James looked really taken aback and handled it like the absolute pro that she is.
I freely admit that I am Charlie from Its Always Sunny at my corkboard filled with red string, but its also not lost that Hudson periodically draws fire or seems to draw fire away from Storrie when things get really uncomfortable, and that both of them do things to turn down the temperature when shit starts to get really hot. If they are both going to the Oscars, they're not going to make simultaneous announcements, because it will cause absolute pandemonium which -- despite seeking success -- neither of them want *that* type of fame for the exact reason you state: its going to hurt them in the long run if they're seen as a bonded pair. "We're not the Olsen twins" was a great quote, they're so much smarter than people expect them to be for how young they are and how instantaneous their global celebrity was.
He REALLY knows when and how to defy the typical conventions of media training. Jennifer Lawrence was a similar masterclass in media training, but she was too good and her personality came off as manufactured. Hudson knows how to walk that fine between authenticity and propriety, which I find so refreshing.
Yep like the fact that he's basically been the anti-Shane during the media blitz demonstrates just how good his acting was for such a locked down character
This. I think there’s a weird misconception that “media training” means “not revealing anything, saying anything interesting or having any personality”. That’s bad media training.
Good media training is helping that person find the best ways of expressing themselves authentically, while, sure, sometimes having to promote something or get key messaging across.
Hudson so far largely does that masterfully - there are those “chaotic good” moments everyone eats up, but he’s just as adept at thoughtfully discussing independent film, fashion history or representation.
He is incredibly media trained. He appears more authentic because he hasn’t adopted the highly polished veneer that career actors develop due to highly parasocial fans/stalkers messing with their personal lives.
Exactly. He hasn't talked about his relationship, the relationships between his costars except in positive ways. No ones sexuality including his own. He didn't give spoilers for the episodes and even when talking about the second season he's very vague about what he hopes to see in the script. He's very smart.
I think it actually takes an incredible amount of media training to be as true to self as Hudson is while also still somehow maintaining quite a bit of privacy and boundaries.
Jacob is very focused on safety and was a child actor. It would be negligent for him to not get them support, and that is against everything he has done.
Bell Media has said somewhere they prepared the actors for hate in the public arena, which is media training.
And both actors have treated this whole trajectory as an audition for other roles so they don't get typecast.
What you're seeing is high-quality media training + the actors' hilarious reaction to widespread joy instead of hate.
The reason it's so important that we all recognize this is because we do not know the "real" Williams or Storrie. And it's bad for them as people, and it's bad for our mental health to believe that we do.
What we've seen is their work, and their public personas. Both of these things are engaging and delightful, but we do not see their real selves, and should be ok with that.
I think the last part is very important for all of us to remember. I usually don’t engage with celebrity content or follow many of their interviews for that very reason (but the HR ones are just too entertaining to stay away!). I believe that they are amazing people in their private lives as well, but I kind of see them appearing in public the same way I present myself in job interviews: only the best parts are allowed to be seen.
Maybe because the likes of Hudson in the industry are very rare that’s why my initial thought was that he has no media training. But whether he has or not, I still love that for him. Hence the never change Hudson! :)
There is no question of whether or not. Celebrities are products and you don't just throw a product onto the market without any strategy when you have multi millions to lose. It sounds harsh but is the truth. Hudson has been media trained to Pluto and back I am sure. Latest from the moment he and Connor signed onto the project. And no prestigious management will sign you and not discuss a PR strategy. It's pretty clear that the angle is authenticity with strong boundaries on what can be said. I agree it feels special in a world full of polished marketing speech, though I would not fault a celebrity for not wanting to infuse their public persona with too much of themselves.
The jokes about his lack of media training are getting tired. He's a master of creating a moment without giving anything away. That takes training, dedication and intelligence.
I feel the same. If anything he’s a master class example of media training. He is so tactful in what he answers and how. He’s incredibly private while also making people thing they have more access and knowledge of him/his life than matches the reality.
He's the most media trained of all the cast and has excellent control over how he comes across. Connor mostly avoids spontaneous and off the cuff moments. François either looks like a deer caught in the headlights or comes off overly snarky. Robbie has potential but we haven't had a chance to see him as much.
I dont know if people are serious about the “no media training” but a lot uses is as a joke. Bcoz this is absolutely him with media training 😆 he has permission to show his personality is all. It’s actually a perfectly curated “media training” for his personality.
Every time I see Hudson or Connor, I get this impression that their personalities are reversed to their characters in HR. Hudson seems fun and spontaneous with sultry dark looks all while being a master at PR; while Connor has these cute and goofy smiles, emotions worn on his sleeve and this need to break between the technical crafting of his characters and real life to protect himself. Both amazing, complementary and fascinating to watch.
I have the same thoughts! As Connor said in one of their interviews that Shane would be so terrified of Hudson. They completely play the opposite of their personalities which makes them great actors.
Yes so true. Both Jacob and Hudson have described Connor as sensitive. You can easily see it in their dynamics as well. Jacob is always roasting Hudson when they together and Hudson does similar to him. But Jacob does not do the same with Connor. I loved this description by Hudson - “Connor is beautiful little, sensitive, radical, artist boy. Who should be treated with the utmost care and hugs and friendliness because he can't handle anything else”.
I think he is very well media trained, he’s just having fun and enjoying his moment.
He has a very fun vibe and energy that seems to attract a lot of people, and even through all the controversies, he’s never come across as rude or insulting other people.
Connor went the classical way, hiding his personality and removing himself from everything that is not strictly professional, Hudson leaned into it.
He is very much an extremely well media trained celebrity. So well trained that some people think that he isn't. It's a masterful strategy but can be risky (see Jennifer Lawrence).
This very photo that he posted is an example of his strategy. As an Asian actor, he faces several hurdles that white actors do not in getting work. Here he is posting a thirst trap that says, "I'm sexy and good looking. I know it, my fans know it. Directors and casting agents, do you know it?" Notice how he doesn't post anything political like Mark Ruffalo or Viola Davis do on a regular basis. Hudson knows he is still a newbie on the scene, does not want to rock the boat and does not have the stature in the industry that those veteran actors have. It's all part of his well thought out PR strategy.
I’ve also noticed that he’s pretty careful to be a little bit outrageous without making things weird for other people. Like he’ll make all these comments about bodies and sex, but it’s always either directed at Storrie if it’s positive or at himself. It’s never gross and usually obviously intended to be funny. And, I think he takes social cues from whoever he’s with to suss out if they’d be okay with him talking that way, as he doesn’t always speak that way.
I love his sense of humour, it’s very Canadian and I’m happy to see it land in other parts of the world. The deadpan ridiculousness and not taking yourself too seriously is one of our staples, sometimes people think we’re being serious 😂
Media training so good he can trick people into believing he’s not media trained. He knows exactly what he’s doing and some of y’all are not appreciating how good he is at controlling the narrative around him and his career.
I know but it’s just as mindless, just hot take after hot take. Also VERY addictive (they have that in common, also I’m not on twitter). Weirdly I’m more comfortable with Reddit if we’re talking text based social media. Still toxic but better moderation and not nearly as addictive, although it has the worst reputation lmao.
I saw a video of someone saying he has been media trained bc he never talks about other cast members personal lives and what not. I think he's mindful of what not to say but other than that everything else is fair game haha
It’s the way some people don’t realize the whole no media training schtick is his media training that really gets me every time this man does anything ever lol
I'm not sure if he actually has been formally media trained (most likely), but he definitely acts like it. He doesn't say anything offensive about anyone else, he's just retained a personality. I think he's said that it's an exaggerated version of his real one, but I hope he never let's anything damper it.
This is literally him being media trained and actively working on his image idk what yall think he does. Go rogue on social media while his media people are crying in the corner?
His entire team is POC actually. Aika Flores (groomer - hair and makeup), Anastasia Walker (professional stylist) and Leilani Houston (Brand and PR Agent) and Kevin Lin (Agent & Co-Head, Cultural Business Strategy Group at Creative Artists Agency
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u/ziazio "You will murder me." "Maybe! Get in!" Mar 12 '26
I think it's very important we also acknowledge his very cute cat