Rising Hollywood star Hudson Williams appeared visibly frustrated when he encountered supposed autograph hunters in Paris over the weekend.
The Heated Rivalry actor was so enraged by the group, who were allegedly autograph dealers, that he tried to set alight the headshot they wanted him to sign.
The 25-year-old Canadian – who is currently in France’s fashion capital to attend Paris Fashion Week – was not happy when he exited his chauffeured car on July 11 to be met by the men who were holding photos of him.
“Can you sign, please Hudson?” one of the men asked, while filming him.
It was a hard no from the star.
“Guys, you followed me to my residence,” he told them.
When the men tried to apologise, albeit while continuing to film and surround the actor, Williams grew more irritated.
“No ‘sorry’. You can’t do this,” he replied, while snatching a headshot from one of them. “This is really f***ing weird.”
In the video, Williams then grabbed the black marker the men had brought for the autographs, aggressively tossing it on the cobblestone street.
“You can’t do this,” he added. “You guys aren’t fans. You’re being really creepy and you just followed me, OK? You don’t do this.”
The heated exchange escalated when Williams attempted to set his headshot alight with a lighter. When his lighter wouldn’t work, the actor could be seen walking away.
“I’m going to burn this at home,” he promised as the men kept apologising. “Thank you. Now please, f***ing leave. You’re demented. No ‘sorry’. Leave. I wanna watch you hop on your little bike.”
Williams again tried to burn the headshot with his lighter but when he failed for the second time, one of his minders ushered for him to walk away from the scene.
He does so, but not before tearing up the photo and throwing it on the street.
The minder then stopped him from returning and interacting with the apparent autograph dealers, while another minder could be heard saying to the man filming, “Delete it. That’s not OK.”
Just last month, Williams also found himself making headlines when a problematic photo of him from high school resurfaced online.
In the photo recirculated on X, the actor posed with a group of friends while wearing a blue shirt with drawings all over it.
His face was also covered in drawings done with a black marker, among them a swastika drawn on his forehead.
Sources told TMZ last month that the pic was taken when Williams took part in an annual “campout” tradition that often involved teens underage drinking and drawing on each other’s shirts and bodies for laughs and to get shocking reactions.
The outlet reported that Williams “had no idea” what was drawn on his face at the time of the pic, but understands it’s “completely inexcusable”.
According to the TMZ source, the star “deeply regrets” the pic and “understands the hurt and disappointment” it’s caused, noting that he doesn’t actually condone or support the drawings.
“The markings do not and have never reflected Hudson’s beliefs, values, or character,” one friend of his told TMZ.
Williams skyrocketed to fame seemingly overnight last year when he starred on the hit HBO Max series Heated Rivalry.
In the smash-hit show, he plays NHL superstar Shane Hollander who is involved in a secret passionate romance with his on-ice rival, Ilya Rozanov (played by Connor Storrie).
Season 2 is currently in production and is scheduled to premiere next April in the US and Australia.
