Coming off a pivotal year in which he earned three Academy Award nominations and clinched an Oscar for his performance in "Syriana," actor George Clooney was again named People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" on Wednesday.
The accolade marks the second time Clooney, 45, has topped the magazine's annual list of Hollywood beefcake, having been so honored in 1997. His close friend and co-star Brad Pitt is the only other celebrity twice dubbed People's "sexiest man."
"This one's going to be hard for Brad since he's been 'Sexiest Man Alive' twice," Clooney joked in an interview with People. "He's enjoyed that mantle. I'd say, 'Sexiest Man Alive' to him, and he'd go, 'Two-time.' So that's been taken away."
Cynthia Sanz, a member of the magazine's editorial panel that selects its "sexiest man" honoree, said Clooney was chosen for a combination of factors.
"His big movies came out at the end of last year, he has been active in the campaign to help people in Darfur, obviously he's great looking -- we just thought he was the total package this year," she told Reuters.
Sanz added that Clooney's status as one of the world's most eligible bachelors helped. "It's a little more fun when the sexiest man alive is available," she said.
Clooney headed to California from his native Kentucky in the early 1980s to work as a chauffeur for his aunt, singer Rosemary Clooney, before making his own way in show business.
He got his big break on TV hospital drama "ER," playing pediatrician Dr. Douglas Ross. After leaving the show, he went on to establish himself as an A-list leading man.
Last year, his credentials as a Hollywood heavyweight in front of and behind the camera were cemented by his work in two acclaimed films -- the McCarthy-era drama "Good Night, and Good Luck," which he directed, co-wrote and acted in, and the political thriller "Syriana."
Besides winning the Academy Award for playing a CIA agent in "Syriana," Clooney earned an Oscar nomination as best director for "Good Night, and Good Luck," becoming the first person nominated for acting and directing in two different films in the same year. "Good Night" also earned Clooney a nomination for best original screenplay.
Off-screen, Clooney has been active in a number of political and social causes, including his support for international measures to halt ethnic violence in the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan.
Poking fun at his ***-symbol status, Clooney feigned exasperation over the burdens of the new title.
"There are all the events you have to show up for. The sash you have to wear that is embarrassing. There's pressure to remain sexy," he said, tongue firmly in cheek.
Pitt, who made the magazine's "sexiest man" cover in 1995 and 2000, was not totally snubbed this year. He was one of a dozen actors included in a new list of "12 Sexy Guys," which also includes Johnny Depp, star of this year's highest-grossing film, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," and Daniel Craig, the new James Bond in the upcoming 007 adventure "Casino Royale." Reuters
George Clooney is People's "Sexiest Man" again..
Reply With Quote
Posting Permissions
