Paul Rudd was named Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine Wednesday.- Rudd said that he knows a lot of fans will be shocked by the choice.
Paul Rudd was named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive of 2021, and he responded by saying his wife was "stupefied."
The 52-year-old actor said he told his wife the news before the announcement came Wednesday.
"She was stupefied," he said in an interview with People. "But you know she was very sweet about it. 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?"
Rudd said he was expecting his friends to give him "so much grief," but added: "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."
"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 continued, perhaps referring to the fact that Jordan won the Sexiest Man title last year.
"And I figure I'll be on a lot more yachts. I'm excited to expand my yachting life," he quipped. "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."
Rudd is aware that some people might be surprised by the choice considering the other frontrunners for the award, which included "Dune" star Timothée Chalamet and "Bridgerton's" Regé-Jean Page. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in America, was one of the people nominated for the title this year.
The "Ant-Man" actor said: "I do have an awareness, enough to know that when people hear that I'd be picked for this, they would say, 'What?' This is not false humility. There are so many people that should get this before me."
"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" announced that Rudd was People's Sexiest Man Alive last night.
During the show, Colbert also assigned the "Clueless" actor a series of mental and physical challenges to prove his sexiness, such as posing as a construction worker and in a wet t-shirt for a photoshoot.
Fans will be able to see 2021's Sexiest Man Alive on screen again in the upcoming "Ghostbusters Afterlife," which is in theaters November 19. Rudd also stars in the AppleTV show "The Shrink Next Door" with Will Ferell this month.