Yesterday in “Dear Gossips”, I wrote about PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2021 and made my annual prediction: Keanu Reeves. It is not Keanu.Page Six scooped PEOPLEat its own game and reported that when PEOPLE reveals its SMA issue next week, Chris Evans will be on the cover.
I mean, yeah. He checks all the boxes. Chris Evans is recognisable, he’s not niche, superheroes aren’t niche, especially Captain America; he just turned 40 years old so he’s not too young and he’s not too old, he plays well with PEOPLE’s MiniVan Majority audience, and this is vital, he said yes. Which means that we’re getting an exclusive photo shoot and interview with Chris when the magazine is unveiled next week. Also, probably, an appearance onJimmy Kimmel Live!, now a tradition with the Sexiest Man Alive feature.
Chris Evans is a safe choice – and he could have had this title several years ago, during his run as Captain America. After all, another Chris, Hemsworth, was the Sexiest Man Alive in 2014. Evans may not have been ready for the SMA crown back then though. There was a time during the Cap era when it sounded like he couldn’t wait to stop playing Steve Rogers and couldn’t wait to pivot away from the Marvel machine and start doing more character-driven dramas and/or musicals. Being the SMA back then may not have met his mood.
Now that he’s had some distance from being an Avenger and has grown out of the professional “too many f-cks to give” angst of his 30s, presumably he’s approaching the SMA with a sense of humour. Being the Sexiest Man Alive comes with a certain amount of teasing in some circles. George Clooney jokes about it all the time and he’s been the SMA twice.
It also helps that Michael B. Jordan, as I mentioned yesterday, has returned a certain prestige to the title. The SMA had lost some of its specialness when it seemed like PEOPLE was just giving it to any male coach on The Voice and David Beckham, suggesting that maybe the movie stars were done with it altogether. Idris Elba’s reign certainly helped, and MBJ made a big contribution to the rescue effort last year when he was crowned SMA, because in the same year, he was also on the TIME 100 Most Influential list and was named one of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century by the New York Times, proving that the SMA doesn’t have to take away from an actor’s gravitas, which has been one of the worries for some actors who’d previously declined the title. Like Ryan Gosling.
And that’s interesting too because Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling worked on a movie together, The Gray Man, this past summer. Chris obviously doesn’t share the hesitations Ryan has had over the years (he’s rumoured to have passed on the SMA multiple times) and I love that for him.
I’m also curious to see if PEOPLE will go there with his personal life. There have been rumours the last few months or so that Chris is disappointingly not dating Lizzo but rather a non-famous person who may or may not be from around Boston. Typically, in the Sexiest Man Alive story, the SMA’s dating status is part of the profile. That’s something to look out for when the issue comes out next week.
But the most important question, now that the surprise has been spoiled and we know it’s going to be Chris…
Will Dodger be part of this SMA photo shoot?
For those who are unaware, Dodger is his dog, his sweet, adorable dog – and Dodger, frankly, is a big part of what makes Chris Evans sexy. Dodger is his most wholesome and sexy social media content. So, it would be such an insult to Dodger if he wasn’t included in this feature. Put Dodger on the cover!
