“Brimming with charm,” and “dashing” is how US-based magazine People described their new “Sexiest Man Alive” when they revealed Jonathan Bailey as the 2025 title holder late on Monday.
“It’s a huge honor. Obviously I’m incredibly flattered. And it’s completely absurd,” the 37-year old British actor told the magazine.
Acting since he was a child with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Bailey rose to international prominence as the fan favorite character Lord Anthony on the popular He gained critical acclaim for his role as a closeted staffer for infamous US Senator Joseph McCarthy in “Fellow Travelers.”
What is ‘Sexiest Man Alive’?
People magazine has been awarding the title since 1985, when it chose “Mad Max” star Mel Gibson as its inaugural “Sexiest Man Alive.”
Since then, it’s become a pop culture touchstone in the English-speaking world, with bookmakers even taking bets on who will win the title. Although People is focused on pop culture and news, it is known for having strong relationships with celebrities and is not seen as an unreliable tabloid.
In recent years, the magazine has been criticized for being out of touch or choosing actors who only appeal to the “minivan majority” of suburban women over 40. Last year’s winner, “The Office” and “A Quiet Place” actor-director John Krasinski was mocked for having come long past the actor’s appeal to a younger generation.
An unconventional choice
Krasinski’s selection may have come, however, after the magazine reached out to other actors and was rejected. Agreeing to be “Sexiest Man Alive” comes with a required photoshoot and in-depth profile that many more private actors may be uncomfortable with. Rumors swirled, for example, that “Game of Thrones” and “Last of Us” star Pedro Pascal turned the magazine down twice.
Despite the convenience of being in the middle of the promotion cycle for the follow-up to his hit film “Wicked”, in which he plays the male lead, Bailey remains an unconventional choice as the first openly gay “Sexiest Man Alive.”
“Wicked: For Good” opens later in November. Bailey stars alongside Cynthia Erivo and in the retelling of from the point of view of the Wicked Witch of the West. The film is expected to be a major box office success and result in multiple Academy Award nominations, including a potential acting nomination for Bailey.
Edited by: Rana Taha
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