It’s been less than 2 months since Nadine Bhabha’s life blew up—in a good way. The Canadian actor and writer has been involved with popular TV shows before—she’s acted in Letterkenny and Kim’s Convenience, and was a writer on 22 Minutes. But nothing compares to the whirlwind of being part of the most popular TV show in the world right now. 

Bhabha stars in Heated Rivalry as Elena, the ride-or-die best friend of charming barista Kip, and one of his only confidants as he navigates a secret relationship with hockey superstar Scott Hunter. When her character first appeared in episode 3, she began to get a sense that people were tuning in to the show. But over the next few weeks, it snowballed into something she could have never imagined.

“The third episode came out…friends and tons of people were reaching out, saying how much they love the show and how much it resonated with them,” Bhabha says. “And then episodes four and five—it felt like a huge chunk of the world started watching.”

The world continued watching until Heated Rivalry became a global phenomenon, catapulting its stars to instant fame and taking over the zeitgeist, from late-night shows to award shows, and even the Olympics. 

“It’s been so amazing watching Connor and Hudson and François and Robbie really step into a nice spotlight, a warm welcome,” Bhabha says. For the past few weeks, she’s been back and forth between LA and Toronto, making appearances alongside the main cast, including at the Golden Globes Nominees Night. “Every new development has been crazy. I mean, Connor and Hudson are torchbearers at the Olympics!”

Heated Rivalry creator Jacob Tierney previously worked with Bhabha on his comedy series Letterkenny. When it came time to adapt Rachel Reid’s bestselling novels for the screen, he offered her the role of Elena, which Bhabha accepted without hesitation.

Bhabha describes Kip and Elena’s bond as “a realistic friendship”— she isn’t too gentle with him when he needs a push, but she isn’t too harsh, either. Not only is Elena there when Scott and Kip finally get their happy ending—a magical kiss on the ice that changes everything—she was the one who helped make it happen. In a beautiful scene in episode 3, she shares a dance with Scott, and speaks the words that have resonated with so many fans: “He deserves sunshine. And so do you.” Elena’s wisdom comes full circle in episode 5, when Wolf Parade’s “I’ll Believe in Anything” plays over Scott and Kip’s big moment, the lyrics “give me your eyes / I need sunshine” sung over their climactic kiss.

“I was just so grateful to get to speak those lines. I could never have predicted how much the ripple of that one line would penetrate the zeitgeist,” Bhabha says. “It’s so true. We all deserve sunshine, and I think a lot of people in their lives just needed to hear it that simply.”

While it’s not confirmed whether Elena will be back for Season 2, Bhabha says she would love to return to celebrate Scott and Kip’s well-deserved happiness. “I want to go back to the bar with Kip and all of our friends,” Bhabha says. “Now that Scott and Kip are together and out, it’d be fun to just like go to dinner with them. You know, have a little kiki.”

Fresh off the momentum of one queer Canadian sports series, Bhabha is already looking forward to her next project set to drop on Crave this year. Slo Pitch is a 10-episode mockumentary series following an underdog queer softball team called The Brovaries. The series is set in Mississauga, and is based on a web series created by Bhabha’s long-time friends Karen Knox, Gwenlyn Cumyn, and J Stevens.

“It’s a deeply Canadian show,” Bhabha says. “It’s got that classic Canadian style of humour. It’s a little bit Trailer Park Boys, but for girls—that sort of small town vibe.”

The trio invited Bhabha to join them in the writer’s room for episodes 7 and 9, and she also guest stars in the series. Along with Bhabha, the series is stacked with Canadian talent—Emily Hampshire, Jess Salgueiro, Chelsea Muirhead, Lane Webber, and Amanda Cordner are among the cast announced in October.

“It’s starring a bunch of Canadian gems, so if you like the fresh face aspect of Heated Rivalry, you’re gonna love the fresh face aspect of Slo Pitch,” Bhabha says. 

With the massive success of Heated Rivalry, and Slo Pitch generating buzz even before its release, Bhabha says it’s “a blessing” to be involved in bringing queer stories to the screen. It’s been a constant throughout her career—last year, she starred in the mini-series Settle Down, and in 2017, she was named New York Web Fest’s Best Supporting Actress for Knox and Cumyn’s series Barbelle.

“I love that this many shows with queer stories and queer love stories are at the center—unabashed ones too. I know the world today feels like we’re regressing, but I think this kind of thing shows that we are a little bit further than we think. The fact that Heated Rivalry is the number one show in the world…it’s a testament to that,” she says. “I’m just happy to be part of a tiny little square in the big quilt that is a love story.”

 Watch Nadine Bhabha in Heated Rivalry on Crave, and Slo Pitch, coming soon to Crave.