Connor Storrie Channels His ‘Heated Rivalry’ Character in SNL Promo Clip
Connor Storrie’s Saturday Night Live hosting debut is days away, and the promo clip alone has already set the internet on fire. SNL posted the teaser on Instagram on Wednesday, Feb. 25, featuring the Heated Rivalry star in a rapid-fire accent duel that ends with him pulling out his now-iconic Russian accent as Ilya Rozanov — complete with a line that reads like a scene straight out of the show.
Storrie is set to host SNL on Saturday, Feb. 28, with Mumford and Sons as the musical guest.
Inside the Accent Duel
The clip opens with SNL castmembers Marcello Hernandez and Ashley Padilla complimenting Storrie on Heated Rivalry, the series that has become a streaming phenomenon. They praise his Russian accent — the one he uses to portray Ilya Rozanov, the Russian hockey player at the center of the series — and Storrie casually responds that he does all kinds of accents.
That’s when James Austin Johnson enters in full cowboy mode.
“Did someone say all kinds of accents?” Johnson can be heard saying, as he makes his way in in a cowboy accent. “Well I reckon this here show ain’t big enough for the both of us.”
Storrie stands up, puts on his own cowboy hat, and fires back: “I reckon it ain’t, partner.”
Padilla and Hernandez then shout out random accents for the two to perform on the spot. The list: “German,” “Cajun,” “French,” “Shakespeare,” “Shrek,” and “Jamaican” — the last of which both Storrie and Johnson agree that “guys like us” probably shouldn’t be doing.
Then the accent called out is Russian. Storrie’s domain.
He delivers a flawless Russian accent and drops the line: “when you get to hell, they’ll know Rozanov sent you,” before shooting Johnson and claiming victory.
For anyone who has watched Heated Rivalry, seeing Storrie deploy Rozanov like a weapon on the SNL stage is the kind of crossover moment this fandom has been waiting for.
How a Texas Native Learned to Sound Russian
What makes Storrie’s command of the accent so striking is the backstory. The 25-year-old Texas native did not know the Russian language before booking the show. He learned it for the role.
In an interview with Behind the Blinds released Jan. 5, Storrie explained his approach.
“It was about time and consistency,” Connor told the outlet. “The moment I got out of the car on set, I started speaking with the accent to all the PAs, all the ADs, hair, makeup, and wardrobe people. I stayed in it until the last cut of the day. Not because I was ‘in character,’ but because it gave me an hour and a half to warm up.”
He admitted the accent felt “ridiculous at first.”
“You think, ‘I don’t sound like that,’” he continued. “Of course you don’t. But if you normalize it—both for yourself and for the people around you—it starts to feel real. I think that’s why people convince themselves they’re bad at accents. They don’t give themselves permission to sound wrong at first.”
Production of this article included the use of AI. It was reviewed and edited by a team of content specialists.
