At 52, Paul Rudd Has Been Named 'People' Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive 2021
The people have spoken. People magazine, that is. This year, the title of Sexiest Man Alive is winging its way to Paul Rudd, and it seems no one is more surprised than the Anchorman actor himself.
"I do have an awareness, enough to know that when people hear that I'd be picked for this, they would say, 'What?'," Rudd, a man who has barely aged in the 30 years he's been on-screen, told People in an interview accepting the coveted accolade. "This is not false humility. There are so many people that should get this before me."
The 52-year-old has racked up more than 65 film appearances over the course of his lengthy career, which spans Clueless and Friends to The 40 Year Old Virgin and Great Gatsby. He's been nominated for a Golden Globe, and earned a star on Hollywood's 'Walk of Fame'. Now, with the title of Sexiest Man Alive under his belt, Rudd reckons he's facing a pivotal moment in his career. Forthwith, he expects his life to change "a lot".
"I'm hoping now that I'll finally be invited to some of those sexy dinners with [George] Clooney and [Brad] Pitt and [Michael] B Jordan," Rudd says. "And I figure I'll be on a lot more yachts. I'm excited to expand my yachting life. And I'll probably try to get better at brooding in really soft light. I like to ponder. I think this is going to help me become more inward and mysterious. And I'm looking forward to that." (continued below)
The father-of-two might need to recruit a few new pals in the light of his new title, since he's expecting his circle of friends to give him "so much grief". "As they should. I would," Rudd says. "I mean I'm going to lean into it hard. I'm going to own this. I'm not going to try to be like 'Oh, I'm so modest.' I'm getting business cards made. But all of my friends will destroy me and I expect them to. And that's why they're my friends."
Meanwhile, his wife of almost 20 years, Julie, was "stupefied" by the accolade. "But you know she was very sweet about it," Rudd said. "After some giggling and shock, she said, 'Oh, they got it right'. And that was very sweet. She was probably not telling the truth, but what's she going to say?"
Whatever fountain of youth Rudd happens to be drinking from, we want access. And we're certainly not the only ones to have noticed his immortal aesthetics. On his 52nd birthday, Jennifer Aniston posted on her Instagram Stories: "You don’t age, which is weird, but we celebrate you anyway.”
Ahead of shooting Ant-Man, Rudd "started training and eating like an athlete: no sugar, no alcohol, just proteins and vegetables. I really loved it," Rudd told AARP in 2019. But surely it can't just be a lifestyle overhaul? Quizzed on his ageless appearance at a Clueless panel talk, Rudd replied: "I’m 80 years old on the inside. In here, pure darkness. And a little moisturiser". Maybe that explains it.
At the event, co-star Breckin Meyer offered up alternative theory: "On the set of Clueless they would come and they would get us like 20 minutes before set… On Paul’s trailer, they would knock like an hour beforehand because he had to finish sucking the lifeblood out of the babies he takes in order to maintain [his youth], and then he was camera-ready."
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