As mentioned, the winner was revealed during The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, but the award was given to Chris on the set of his upcoming film. The footage shows Dwayne Johnson, also known as The Rock, and the Sexiest Man Alive 2016, which he points out himself, visiting Chris on the set.
Dwayne Johnson congratulates Chris and it seems that he was pretty happy to have been given such a title. When asked to say something sexy, Chris points to the camera and says, “Go vote tomorrow.” The midterm elections are a hot topic right now in the US, so it wasn’t too surprising.
While talking to People, Chris revealed that he is truly happy about the award as his teenage self would have been “pumped” to know that when he grows up he would receive such an acknowledgement. But he does feel a bit awkward being interviewed about it: “It feels like a weird form of humble bragging.”
Another person who is no less happy than Chris is his mom. “My mom will be so happy. She's proud of everything I do but this is something she can really brag about." His mom Lisa actually told People that she wasn’t even surprised by the news. She believed it had to happen.
Some people may not be surprised that Chris Evans was chosen this year, but you may be curious, why, though? And how the winner is chosen at all. Well, the magazine reveals a little bit of the process on their podcast People Every Day before they interview Chris.
The host Janine Rubenstein talks with the editor of People Editor-in-Chief Wendy Naugle and she reveals that they start to think of the following year’s nominations the day after the current year’s winner is announced.
What People are looking at is “who is out there who is starting a lot of conversation, who's winning at every red carpet, who is getting people talking. So this year Chris Evans was one of the biggest guys in Hollywood and had so many projects, multiple films, filming a ton of stuff for 2023. All roads really lead to him so in that sense, dare I say, it was a little bit easy to choose this year.”
Former Editor-in-Chief Dan Wakeford told CNN that “There are so many different variables and ways of approaching it. A starting point often is, when we want to make a decision, to think about the zeitgeist, think about what is sexy at the moment. What do people find appealing at the moment?”
Another thing Wendy Naugle touches on is the purpose of the title. Some people might find it shallow, unnecessary or even unethical. The podcast host Janine suggests that what their readers should take from it is to have a little fun.
Wendy completely agrees: “It’s a lot of fun. It’s a chance to check in on your favorite stars, who’s the biggest this year and really enjoy escaping from the world a little bit, which with the election and politics sometimes we need just a few minutes of escape.”
According to various reactions online, people are pretty happy with calling Chris Evans The Sexiest Man Alive, but we would like to know if you agree with People’s pick. Who would you nominate? Do you think such a title is necessary at all? Do you enjoy finding out who is the title holder, having in mind that the magazine does it just for fun? We are interested to know your thoughts, so leave them in the comments!
