Nadine Bhabha on ‘Heated Rivalry,’ Friendship Truths, and Defining Her Own Success
On Heated Rivalry, Nadine Bhabha plays Elena Rygg, the no-nonsense, ride-or-die friend who will call you out and hype you up in the same breath. Off-screen, the Toronto native is just as dynamic: an actor, writer, producer, and poet who refuses to be boxed into a single label or lane.
Bhabha joined EnVi on Zoom from Los Angeles, still a little jet-lagged from the trip to the West Coast and a night out at Spotify’s Best New Artists event with co-star Robbie G.K. The same sharp humor and grounded sincerity that fans saw in Elena showed up immediately. Bathed in the early-afternoon sunlight, Nadine Bhabha discussed stepping into the role, balancing her multi-hyphenate career, and defining success in her own terms.
Elena in the Spotlight
When Heated Rivalry became an unexpected overnight success, Bhabha’s character, Elena, quickly emerged as a fan favorite following her debut in episode 3, “Hunter.” The series is adapted from Rachel Reid’s New York Times bestselling novels, with the first season drawing from Game Changer and Heated Rivalry. Elena is the best friend of Kip Grady (Robbie G.K.), one half of the show’s secondary couple, and enters the story as a grounded voice of reason. She offers support and advice to Kip and his partner, Scott Hunter (François Arnaud), a closeted hockey player.
Bhabha revealed to EnVi that she was the first actor cast in the series and the role came directly from creator, writer, and director Jacob Tierney, meaning she didn’t have to audition. Being asked was enough for her to sign on, sharing “Once I got all the scripts and started reading about Elena and reading these characters, I’m like, ‘Oh, this is going to be good.’”
She also saw an immediate personal connection to Elena as they both value honesty, care, and loyalty in friendships. “Holding your friends accountable — it’s very me,” she said. She also added that Elena’s humor set her apart: “I do think specifically Elena, almost everything she does is sort of like fun and funny.”
Bhabha hopes viewers leave the show with a deeper appreciation for honest friendship. “If you notice a pattern of them kind of hurting themselves or acting outside of their best interest, it’s okay to bring it up,” she said. “If your friendship crumbles because you’ve offered some advice, it’s probably not that good of a friendship to begin with.”
Some fans online have since expressed hope for a potential spinoff centered on Scott and Kip, with Elena having a large presence. Bhabha shared that earlier versions of the script for season one offered more insight into Elena’s personal life. “There used to be scenes in her house,” she said, explaining that seeing where Elena lives could reveal even more about who she is.
Once I got all the scripts and started reading about these characters, I’m like, ‘Oh, this is going to be good.’
Heated Rivalry also marks another collaboration between Bhabha and Tierney, following their work on Letterkenny, as well as with producer Brendan Brady on the short film Chronic.
“Jacob’s my favorite director; I would work with him on everything if he would have me,” she said. She praised his warmth and leadership, adding that in an often “cold” industry, he creates environments where people feel valued. She shared similar sentiments about Brady, describing him as a great director whose warm energy makes people feel valued as an artist.
The Stage That Shaped Her
While most known for her work on television, Bhabha got her first foot into performance through the theater. The actress went on to graduate with honours, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre acting from York University.
“What initially drew me to acting is beyond my comprehension, to be honest, because I was so small,” she said. But she kept coming back to performing because of theater. She loved the immediate gratification for both herself and the audience.
Bhabha shared, “It’s just so nice to connect, in a way, through art and making something and having people enjoy it in real time … I think there’s something about that feedback loop of ‘I made something’ and then someone’s consuming that, and both parties derive joy from that.”
The multi-hyphenate still performs live theater. Her most recent, and favorite, role was Kitty Givens in The Welkin at Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto last year. The character required a Scottish accent, which she had never attempted before. Though initially intimidated by the challenge, she worked with a dialect coach and nailed it. Today, Scottish is one of the accents she sometimes slips into by accident.
The Art of Doing It All
Bhabha isn’t one to be defined by labels, both personally and professionally. As a Toronto native born to a London-born Guyanese mother and South African father, she credits growing up in the city with allowing her the freedom to be herself.
“I feel like a lot of people try and box you into a specific culture, especially [based on] how you look,” she said. “But growing up in Toronto, you were allowed to be your full peacock, full-of-feather self.”
Bhabha doesn’t identify as one specific thing. She noted that many people don’t come from a singular cultural background and believes Toronto allows for that complexity in a way few places do.
Creatively, Bhabha works across multiple disciplines as an actor, writer, producer, and poet. She said that in Canada’s film and television industry, it’s difficult to focus on just one role while remaining creatively fulfilled. Producing, in particular, came out of necessity. She explained that to make her own work, she would have to produce it herself. Wearing multiple hats has allowed her to expand her creative practice, get projects made, and collaborate with a wider network.
“Being an actor and being a writer works two different parts of my brain,” Bhabha said. “I’m very lucky and it’s very lovely to just be able to do that and be a well-rounded artist.”
Writing had long been on her mind. About eight years ago, she sat down, wrote two pilots and sent them out to industry contacts. “I got such warm feedback on the way in that I felt confident to continue to write and to pitch,” she said.
She then got the opportunity to work in writers’ rooms, beginning as a story coordinator on a digital series and in a few development rooms.
“I think a lot of people want to be writers for the screen and don’t really know what it entails,” she said. “And so for me, I was able to see all the steps.”
Photos by Alanna Ferrell
Bhabha was a writer on Children Ruin Everything, a sitcom about two parents navigating the challenges of raising young children while maintaining their own identities. She began as a story coordinator in season 2 and later became a story editor by season 4. She praised showrunner Kurt Smeaton for intentionally hiring and mentoring young writers, particularly women of color.
Beyond her work in television, Bhabha is also a published author. Her poetry collection sweat, released in 2017, came from a personal place as she explored love, family, and heartbreak.
“I was depressed and the words needed to come out,” she shared in a follow-up email. “sweat was for me, and for that time in my life. I knew if not a soul read it outside of me (and the amount of people who did are few and far between), that I was just happy to have made it.”
She brings the same focus on emotional truth and rhythm to her acting, whether in comedy or drama. “I do approach things sort of in the same way. Drama and comedy are just different rhythms,” she explained. “All the emotions are the same. All of the work that goes into it is the same.” In drama, scenes allow for more space and breath, letting emotions land differently, while comedy moves faster and creates a “rat-a-tat” rhythm but the emotional truth remains.
Most of her career has unfolded in comedy, with roles on This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Settle Down, and One More Time. That background has allowed her to move comfortably between projects and creative teams.
“I’ve gotten to work on a multitude of different comedic projects and sort of slotting myself in where needed,” Bhabha said. “A lot of the time, especially because in Toronto, you see the same people a lot. So it’s nice to always arrive on a set and there’s a couple friends there, and you get to be comfortable and sort of play.”
No matter the genre, she prioritizes joy in her work. While she describes herself as a highly prepared, Type A actor, she never loses perspective and does her best to bring fun and lightheartedness to all her projects.
“At the end of the day, what we are doing is fun,” she said. “It is a vital part of society but it is not the most vital part of society, and we have to remember that it’s unserious what we’re doing. We provide a service to the greater public, but it is still at the end of the day entertainment.”
Redefining Success
For someone who has known she’s wanted to be in this industry since she was a child, Bhabha has had to redefine what success looks like over the years.
“Right now, it feels like [Heated Rivalry] has opened a door that I didn’t think the house even possessed, if that makes sense,” she said. “[It’s] cool that this could happen still in the way that the industry is right now.”
For her, success looks like realizing that the people she’s wanted to work with, both in Canada and beyond, now feel accessible.
She compared the feeling to longing for an invitation to a party, thinking “maybe next year,” only to finally get invited and realize, “Oh, cool. It’s just a house party.” She added, “That’s how I feel about a lot of things and that, to me, feels like, ‘Oh, I’ve made it where I’m just now able to relax and have fun and not worried about getting invited.’”
One of the biggest pinch-me moments since Heated Rivalry premiered last November didn’t even directly involve her. “I mean, it’s not pinch-me specifically,” she said, “but it’s pinching somebody.” The day before our interview, Tierney, Brady, Hudson Williams (who plays Shane Hollander), and Sophie Nelisse (who plays Rose Landry) attended the Prime Time Conference in Ottawa, where Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stopped to take photos with the cast and crew on the red carpet.
When it comes to the representation of Canadian talent on a global stage, Bhabha had a clear perspective. “I mean, I’m kind of stubborn in the sense that I’m like, we’ve been doing this,” she said. “Like, Catherine O’Hara just passed away today. The outpouring of devastation and love for this woman, who is Canadian, goes to show that we have been on a global stage for decades.”
She continued, “And I think it just comes in waves … We’ve been around for generations, and I think it will just keep continuing to come in waves. Yeah, I’m really resistant to the idea that this is the first time that people are discovering that Canadians are on TV.”
What’s Next for Nadine Bhabha?
As Heated Rivalry continues to make waves online, Bhabha is already looking ahead with Slo Pitch, another Crave original set to release this Spring. The series will follow a queer baseball league told in a mockumentary style.
While Bhabha serves as a writer on the show and makes a brief on-screen appearance, she is quick to clarify her role.
“I have to continue to set the record straight that I’m not really in the show,” she said. “I pop in for an episode but I think gay Twitter kind of ran with a story that I don’t know where it came from.”
Despite the inevitable comparisons to Heated Rivalry, she emphasizes that the two shows exist in completely different genres. Slo Pitch has a comedic voice, with characters who are “that fun, kind of dumb where everyone’s a bit of a buffoon,” which she said is right up her alley.
Looking ahead, her creative focus remains clear: “Always excited to continue to tell stories of funny, complicated women!”
Keep up with Nadine Bhabha on Instagram and TikTok!
Can’t get enough of Heated Rivalry? Check out our exclusive interview with Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova here!
