François Arnaud is addressing the online bullying he has faced as rumors circulate about him dating his “Heated Rivalry” co-star, Connor Storrie.
“Overall, fans have been extremely positive and courteous,” the 40-year-old actor said in an interview with the Toronto Star published on Saturday.
“For those who aren’t, I believe it’s mostly younger fans who don’t truly grasp the distinction between reality and fiction,” he said regarding the harassment, which reportedly involved death threats.
I truly hope they just rewatch the series, because it seems like they didn’t grasp its message,” he added. “Pay closer attention. Did we watch the same show?
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Arnaud, who portrays Scott Hunter in the popular Crave/HBO Max series, faced harassment following a photo taken of him.zipping out of JFK Airportwith Storrie, 25, on Wednesday thereaftertheir press week in the Big Apple.
The look led to speculation about a romantic relationship between the two, with some fans suggesting that Storrie might be better suited for Hudson Williams, 24 — Storrie and Williams portray on-screen rivals and hidden lovers Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander in the series.
“They should let this kind-hearted ruler be,” someone on X commented as the online conflict intensified.
Meanwhile, Arnaud unfollowed “Heated Rivalry” cast and crew members, including co-stars Williams, Robbie G.K., and Storrie — as well as series creator Jacob Tierney — in a social media purge over the past week.
According to Just Jared, he reduced his “following” list from more than 1,000 to 213 — but thenadded them back, Page Six confirmed on Friday, together with acomposite photo of himselfand Williams giving the middle finger.
Arnaud also mentioned the widespread unfollowing during his interview with the news organization.
“What’s occurring is that I’m unfollowing everyone, and Instagram isn’t allowing me to do it all at once,” he said to the Toronto Star.
“I wasn’t aware of the limit on how many people you can unfollow within 24 hours,” he added.
Arnaud also stated that his middle finger selfie was not related to the online harassment he has faced.
“It has nothing to do with that,” he said.
I mean, ‘completely’ might be a stretch, but mostly it’s not related to that. I’ve been doing these ‘spot the differences’ posts for a long time, and I just thought it would be nice to do something with Hudson, and that’s all.
An actor based in Los Angeles admitted that the harassment is making him think about relocating.
I’m thinking, ‘Oh, maybe a small cottage with street access, not on a private property, isn’t the best option,'” he said. “So, yeah, I’m moving into a building with a concierge.