‘Heated Rivalry’ star Conner Storrie reveals impressive accent skills in ‘SNL’ video

From Heated Rivalry to a heated face-off! Saturday Night Live dropped its first teaser for Connor Storrie‘s upcoming hosting debut and it showed that the actor isn’t afraid to flaunt his impressive arsenal of accents that go beyond Ilya Rosanov’s Russian accent.

The 26-year-old actor, who portrays Russian hockey star Ilya Rozanov on the hit Crave drama, amazed fans and peers alike with his seemingly flawless depiction of the character’s thick accent, which he brings up in Wednesday’s teaser promoting his hosting gig.

“I actually do all kinds of accents,” Storrie tells SNL cast members Ashley Padilla and Marcello Hernández in the video. That’s when James Austin Johnson — whose already made his mark on the sketch comedy series with his Donald Trump impression — comes into the picture, wearing cowboy boots and spurs, and ready to challenge Storrie to a face-off.

“Did somebody say ‘all kinds of accents’?” Johnson asks as he enters the room. “Well I reckon this here show ain’t big enough for the both of us.”

Storrie stands up, putting on a cowboy hat he pulled out of thin air, responding, “I reckon it ain’t … partner.”

“It’s an accent duel!” Padilla exclaims. “Come on, let’s get out of the way.”

Johnson and Storrie then engage in a back-and-forth of accents, showing off their skills in German, Cajun, French, Shakespeare, “Shakespeare but bad,” Shrek, and even the Na’vi of Avatar fame. The only accent that both actors draw the line at is doing Jamaican. (“Yeah, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Storrie reasons.)

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Of course, Storrie pulls out his not-so-secret weapon: his breakout Russian accent. “When you get to hell, tell them Rosanov sent you,” the Joker: Folie à Deux actor says in what any Game Changers series fan will tell you is Ilya Rosanov at his finest. It’s no surprise that Johnson is dramatically taken out by Storrie’s prowess.

SNL is smart to capitalize on Storrie’s gift with accents; the actor previously revealed that he once delivered his lines so convincingly on set that he fooled a Russian extra on set into thinking he actually spoke the language fluently. 

During an appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers last month, Storrie shared that many of the actors who served as extras were Russian, and he had to learn a very important Russian phrase amid the fervor surrounding the series. “I always say in Russian, ‘I speak Russian really poorly,’” he added. 

However, Storrie’s Russian must not be so bad since an older Russian extra believed his acting so much, she tried to speak with him in the language after a scene!

“The scene where after my dad’s funeral — spoiler — I’m with my brother, everyone at that table was actually Russian. This Russian lady, this older lady, I came back in to reset and she starts [speaking Russian],” Storrie recalled. “And then I’m like, ‘No, I don’t… I don’t do that.’

“Then she told the person next to her,” he said. “She was [speaking in Russian] and then this man was like, ‘Oh, she thought you were an actual Russian speaker.'” Storrie quickly clarified that the woman didn’t think he was actually Russian, but rather “she thought that my parents were Russian and I speak Russian at home with a pseudo-American accent.”

There’s plenty more material from Storrie’s work on Heated Rivalry for SNL to use for Saturday’s many sketches, and fans have been vocal about hoping to see the actor’s costars make an appearance during his debut — especially co-lead Hudson Williams. SNL alum Jimmy Fallon has already vouched for the Canadian-born actor to host himself, so a quick cameo would be a cheeky way to tease the possibility.

Either way, seeing the pair together after their stint as torchbearers for the Olympic torch relay would be a sweet treat for Heated Rivalry fans who have a bit of a wait for the second season of the provocative Canadian drama.

Watch Storrie’s SNL teaser above. The episode airs Saturday at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT on NBC and Peacock with musical guest Mumford & Sons.