34 men who are worthy runners-up for John Krasinkski's Sexiest Man Alive title

Pascal, 49, played easily the sexiest character in "Game of Thrones" history, Oberyn Martell (RIP, we miss you).

After making us all gasp every time he lifts his helmet in "The Mandalorian," it's high time for People to give him the respect he deserves.

Maybe 2025 will be his year, with his "daddy" essence taking over the internet and recent roles in "Gladiator II," "Drive-Away Dolls," a voice role in "The Wild Robot" as the latest in a long line of attractive animated foxes, and his hotly anticipated roles in "The Fantastic Four," "The Mandalorian and Grogu," and season two of "The Last of Us."

Mescal, 28, has been a sex symbol ever since we saw him on our screens for the first time in 2020's "Normal People." Even his gold chain had its own Instagram account.

His career post-"Normal People" has shown he's anything but a one-hit wonder, though. He was nominated for an Oscar for his role in "Aftersun," played yet another romantic lead in "All of Us Strangers," and now will take on the biggest role of his career yet: the lead of Ridley Scott"s "Gladiator II."

But since he wasn't named Sexiest Man Alive this year, we can only wait as his career continues to skyrocket.

Garfield, 41, has had a wild last few years, between stunning us all with his amazing singing voice in "Tick, Tick... Boom!," somehow making us all nostalgic for his "Spider-Man" movies that are famously mediocre — they live and die by the charm of Garfield and Emma Stone — and his nomination for an Emmy for "Under the Banner of Heaven."

After taking a break, he returned in 2024 to star in the alternately heartwarming and heartbreaking film "We Live in Time," and to break the internet by appearing on "Chicken Shop Date."

We are still mourning the end of "John Wick: Chapter 4" from last year. There must be more Reeves on our screen soon!

He's just an overall great person, and for that, he should be recognized. Also, he's somehow 60 years old and still looks like this.

Kaluuya, 35, has been giving teenagers everywhere butterflies since his "Skins" days. But his breakout role in "Get Out" catapulted him to a new level of stardom. Sure, Kaluuya already has an Oscar for "Judas and the Black Messiah," but we can't rest until he's been named Sexiest Man Alive.

This video went viral, and for good reason. Isaac, our reigning short king, is able to make every single thing he does sexy. It's just who he is.

A quick search on Twitter of "Oscar Isaac short king" yields thousands of tweets. So give this 45-year-old star what he deserves after the disastrous "Rise of Skywalker" and declare him the Sexiest Man Alive.

Plus, he officially entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe with "Moon Knight," which has basically become a prerequisite for the People crown.

Perhaps it'll be his time after he stars in Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein" film next year.

What a 12 months it's been for Glen Powell. After stealing our hearts in 2022's "Top Gun: Maverick," the 26-year-old knew he had to capitalize on our love.

And that he did. Last December saw the release of his highly anticipated rom-com with Sydney Sweeney, "Anyone But You," which made headlines and money at the box office, officially signaling that the rom-com was back.

Then we had "Hit Man," in which he proved his versatility. But all that was nothing compared to what happened this summer with the release of "Twisters." As Super Yaki put it, it was "Glen Powell Summer."

This seemed like a no-brainer, but alas.

The love for 28-year-old Chalamet only grows as he continues to take some pretty legendary fashion risks. Remember the shirtless Oscars moment? Or his backless jumpsuit at Cannes?

What else proves that Chalamet inspires a semi-unhinged fervor amongst fans? When footage from the set of Wonka" leaked, the "Twonka" memes took over the internet, as Vulture reported.

The release of "Dune: Part Two" earlier this year proves Chalamet is a movie star, full-stop. It was hugely successful at the box office and his performance garnered rave reviews. We'll be getting more Timmy this year, too; the Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown" premieres in December.

Many people were dubious when Butler, at that point best known for "The Carrie Diaries," was cast as Presley. They were all forced to eat their words when "Elvis" premiered in 2022 and Butler was crowned one of the internet's newest boyfriends.

Just watch him perform in the movie, and tell us we're wrong. He was even nominated for an Oscar.

The 33-year-old continued his hot streak by playing the absolutely unhinged Feyd Rautha in "Dune: Part Two" before turning right around and playing a heartthrob in "The Bikeriders."

Elordi has a sweet spot for playing toxic men — "The Kissing Booth," "Euphoria," "Saltburn," and "Priscilla" all come to mind — which is why it's so endearing to see him act shy in interviews like his 2023 appearance on "The Kelly Clarkson Show."

He's just 27, so we know that Elordi most likely has a long road of sexy roles ahead of him, including opposite fellow Sexiest Man Alive contender Oscar Isaac in "Frankenstein."

Murphy, 48, has long been the thinking person's sexiest man alive, with his Irish accent and his intense on-screen energy.

But after starring in six seasons of the BBC series "Peaky Blinders" and last summer's Oscar-winning performance in blockbuster "Oppenheimer," Murphy finally seems to be getting what he deserves.

We doubt Murphy would ever actually accept this honor, but we still need to give him his (sexy) flowers. Perhaps when the "Peaky Blinders" movie is released.

Cho, 52, deserves a starring role in a rom-com so that the rest of the world who didn't watch "Selfie" before it was canceled can learn what we know: He's definitely deserving of a Sexiest Man Alive title.

But since rom-coms are a dying breed, we guess we'll settle for a leading role in the second season of Apple TV+'s "The Afterparty" and the horror film "Afraid."

We won't mention "Cowboy Bebop" if you won't.

As any '90s and 2000s TV viewer can tell you, Adam Brody as Seth Cohen on "The OC" was formative. But since the show ended, it's been somewhat quiet for the 44-year-old.

That all changed when "Nobody Wants This" dropped on Netflix this year, bringing Brody-mania back with a vengeance as he played an achingly romantic rabbi willing to throw his career away for love.

Move over, Hot Priest. Hot Rabbi is here to stay.

The 30-year-old singer hails from Colombia, and he released his sixth album, "Don Juan," in 2023. It hit No. 11 on the US Latin charts and reached the Billboard 200. His 2022 EP, "The Love & Sex Tape," peaked at No. 16 on the Latin chart.

This year, he became a first-time dad.

Mainstream audiences got more exposure to Maluma in 2022, when he co-starred in the rom-com "Marry Me" alongside Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson.

People could have been ahead of the curve by picking Maluma earlier, but now it's just a necessity.

Remember when Cavill, 41, appeared in a "Mission Impossible" film and appeared to "reload" his fists before punching Tom Cruise? We could never forget.

The last few years have been a bit up and down for Cavill, with a starring role in "The Witcher" for three seasons, which became one of Netflix's most popular shows — though he left the show — and taking on the mantle of Sherlock Holmes in "Enola Holmes" and its sequel.

We thought that his version of Superman was here to stay after a cameo in "Black Adam," but that turned out not to be true. The Sexiest Man Alive honor could be a perfect pick-me-up for Cavill after the back-to-back-to-back flops of "Black Adam," "Argylle," and "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare."

We also can't forget his short, but meaningful, cameo in "Deadpool & Wolverine," where he proved he can make any facial hair work.

Besides his episode of "Modern Love," which People ranked as the best episode of the season, Patel, 34, has been killing it lately.

One of his most recent films, "The Green Knight," a medieval epic that Patel was top-billed in, was released in 2021. While the film might've left you confused, we definitely walked out knowing one thing: Patel is a star.

Patel also made his Wes Anderson debut on Netflix recently — hopefully, he'll be in more of Anderson's projects in the future.

This year he starred and directed the action thriller "Monkey Man." We love a multi-hyphenate.

And we already mentioned his hair.

It's shocking that he's never won — not after "The Notebook," not after "Crazy Stupid Love," not after "La La Land," not after the "Hey Girl" meme went viral, and not after beating up 2022's Sexiest Man Alive in "The Gray Man."

However, if playing the most lovable himbo of all time, Ken, in "Barbie" — complete with a song-and-dance sequence — wasn't enough for People, we don't know what is.

According to ET, the 43-year-old has actually turned it down before, but that humility only adds to the sexy vibe.

Bailey, 36, was first introduced to audiences as Anthony Bridgerton in 2020, though it took until the second season of "Bridgerton" for his true charm to be unleashed.

Now, he's playing one of musical theater's biggest sex symbols, Fiyero, in both "Wicked" movies and next year he'll appear in the new "Jurassic World" movie.

People has chosen a somewhat diverse list of Sexiest Men Alive over the years, but the publication has never chosen a gay celebrity before. Choosing Bailey would be very cool of them, simply put.

Gyllenhaal is another almost unbelievable snub in the Sexiest Man Alive canon. He's been a favorite since 2001's "Donnie Darko," for crying out loud!

The 43-year-old has had a busy couple of years between "The Guilty," "Ambulance," "Strange World," "Guy Ritchie's The Covenant," and the remake of "Road House."

But, we'd be remiss not to mention the press tour for "Far From Home," and the subsequent bromance that emerged between Gyllenhaal and his co-star Tom Holland. We could watch interviews of them for hours.

As any "Kim's Convenience" fan could've told you, Liu has always had his admirers. But now that the 35-year-old is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he's reached a whole new level.

Whether it's in "Knives Out," "Someone Great," "Atlanta," "Judas and the Black Messiah," "The Harder They Fall," "Sorry to Bother You," or even "Haunted Mansion," 33-year-old Stanfield is a magnetic presence on screen.

White, star of the Hulu sensation "The Bear," has been a sex symbol for a long time — ask any fan of "Shameless."

But the 33-year-old is hitting his stride now, with three seasons as Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto and the wrestling drama "The Iron Claw" costarring Zac Efron and Harris Dickinson under his belt, and the Bruce Springsteen biopic to look forward to.

Benito's 2022 album "Un Verano Sin Ti" was nominated for multiple Latin Grammys and had the biggest streaming week for a Latin album ever. His 2023 album "Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana," was also a huge hit — honestly, People is behind the times on this one

The 30-year-old's style, good looks, musical talent, and personality all contribute to his sexiness — it's time to get on the Bad Bunny train, if you're not already.

Much has been said about Nanjiani's workout regimen and how his wife encouraged us all to appreciate the results in "Eternals," but real fans know the 46-year-old has been one to watch since "Silicon Valley."

Yeun has been popular since he starred on "The Walking Dead," but he's achieved more mainstream success recently. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 2021 for his performance in "Minari." Soon after, he began voicing Mark Grayson in the hit Prime Video series "Invincible."

This year was even bigger, with the Netflix series "Beef." The 40-year-old won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and a Critics' Choice Award, among others, for his performance as Danny.

The Fab Five — Jonathan Van Ness, Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Karamo Brown, and Jeremiah Brent (and formerly Bobby Berk) — are only growing their reach, as evidenced by the upcoming batch of episodes that see them heading to Las Vegas to help a new group of "heroes."

From taking fashion risks and shedding light on the HIV-positive community to helping people find love again, these five are a much-needed dose of good vibes in 2024, even if there's some reports of drama behind the scenes.

Watching the Oprah Winfrey special about Meghan and Harry choosing to leave the royal family was heartbreaking, no question. But there's something about the way that Harry, 40, fully supported his wife and was able to be vulnerable on national TV that had us a little ... distracted.

Also, please watch this video of him doing an obstacle course with James Corden. You'll thank us.

Even Helen Mirren is unable to resist how "gorgeous" the 45-year-old "Aquaman" star is. Between his luscious locks, his beard, his shredded body, and his wonderful sense of humor, we think her Momoa obsession is very relatable.

Ali's giant smile is infectious, and his voice is supremely smooth and soothing. What else can you ask from the Sexiest Man Alive? And, it's becoming clear that Ali, 50, is only going to get better with time.

The 50-year-old has been making our hearts flutter since he starred in the 1994 version of "Little Women," in the same role that fellow sexy person Timothée Chalamet took over 2019.

Audiences had low expectations for "Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves" last year. But we all should have known better — any movie that lives and dies by the charisma of Pine, 44, will be fine.

You can have Hemsworth, Evans, and Pratt. Pine will always be No. 1 in our hearts.

No, we're not going to say that Swift put Kelce, 35, on the map, but we will say that some Swifties have learned more about the NFL and football in the last few months than they have probably in their entire lives.

What we think is the main part of Kelce's sexiness is that he's not afraid of a powerful woman, or of shooting his shot; he said on his podcast with his brother that he wanted to give Swift a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it.

Cut to a few weeks later, and Swift is hanging out with his parents in a box at Arrowhead Stadium, and now they've been dating for over a year. Manifesting works.

We've loved Jacinto, 37, since his days on "The Good Place" as the lovable himbo Jason Mendoza, but his role as The Stranger in "The Acolyte" reminded us how much we need him on screen.

Hartnett was one of the biggest crushes for anyone who was interested in men in the late '90s and 2000s, but he stepped back from Hollywood for years.

That is, until last year when he made a grand return in "Oppenheimer" and then kept it up with this year's thriller "Trap," which was one of the biggest hits of the summer.