Sexiest Man Alive. What does it really mean? The actual sexiest man on the planet? An actor that needs publicity for his next movie? A star with a particularly impressive set of abs? A guy that everyone just really, really likes?
The answer is somewhere between “a little of each”, “all of the above,” — and, this year, David Beckham — which is why People’s annual Sexiest Man Alive issue gets so much attention every year.
On Tuesday, the magazine announced the 2015 winner, the 30th year of the Sexiest Man Alive cover.
“David Beckham is a global superstar, devoted husband and down-to-earth dad of four. And now, the humble British heartthrob is this year’s Sexiest Man Alive,” the magazine wrote in a piece accompanying the announcement.
“It’s a huge honour,” Beckham, 40, said. “And I’m very pleased to accept.
“I never feel that I’m an attractive, sexy person,” he added.
The father of four with wife Victoria Beckham, 41, says “I would hope that she feels this way about me all the time anyway!”
“But she said, ‘Congratulations!’”
A caveat: Choosing a Sexiest Man Alive is an imperfect science. Some years, it’s the new “it” guy, like when Channing Tatum (2012) won mere months after he stripped down for Magic Mike. Other times, it’s someone who has a big year ahead of them, like when Chris Hemsworth (2014) was primed for a big splash in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It’s almost always a movie star, though in 2013, it was Adam Levine.
Here’s who missed out in 2015:
Matt Damon
Known as Hollywood’s perennial Nice Guy (well, until some recent controversy), he had one of the biggest movies of the year with The Martian. He also made headlines with Project Greenlight — which wasn’t always a good thing, so he could definitely have used an image boost. Also, he has Bourne 5 on the horizon for next year. People’s Sexiest Man Alive is frequently in a big box-office franchise.
The Rock
Doesn’t everyone just love Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson? He starred in Furious 7 and San Andreas, two of the top 20 grossing movies of the year.
Idris Elba
The British actor wound up in a big cultural conversation this year as the people demanded he should be the next James Bond. (He seems OK with it.) He was the first solo man on the cover of Maxim. He recently had roles in “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Beasts of No Nation,” and his 2016 looks huge: He’s in Star Trek Beyond as well as voicing characters in The Jungle Book and Finding Dory.
Chris Pratt
Many people thought that he was a shoo-in last year thanks to “Guardians of the Galaxy,” but Chris Hemsworth stole his spot. We thought perhaps the magazine was just saving the honour until the gigantic hit Jurassic World hit theatres.
Chris Evans
Never count out a Chris for Sexiest Man Alive. Plus, he’s in the Captain America sequel in 2016, along with his role in The Avengers. However, a key part of SMA is sitting for an interview/mildly embarrassing photo shoot that shows off your bodacious bod, and Evans was probably a bit too shy for that.
Will Smith
Concussion is sure to make a splash and no one can stop talking about Suicide Squad for next year.
Johnny Depp
Sure, Depp has gone through some bizarre personal-life issues and his latest films have been a bit of a disaster (Mortdecai, anyone?) but he jumped back on the radar as Whitey Bulger in Black Mass. In 2016, he stars in Alice Through the Looking Glass. And People might owe him one.
Harrison Ford
The Sexiest Man Alive is generally in his 30s or 40s, but Disney/ABC does partner with People quite often (such as announcing the winner on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live), and the new Disney-owned Star Wars: Episode VII can’t have enough hype. Plus, the 73-year-old Ford escaped unscathed from an airplane crash this year.
Other also-rans: Jake Gyllenaahal. Chris Pine. Michael Fassbender. And a long-shot guess because of the cheating scandal, but Ben Affleck does have Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice next year.
