KIT HARINGTON: DON’T OBJECTIFY ME
“To always be put on a pedestal as a hunk is slightly demeaning. It really is, and it’s in the same way as it is for women. When an actor is seen only for her physical beauty, it can be quite offensive,” said Harington. “In this position you get asked a lot, ‘Do you like being a heartthrob? Do you like being a hunk?’ Well, my answer is, ‘That’s not what I got into it for.'”
JON HAMM: NOT EVERYONE THINKS I’M SEXY
“It’s completely arbitrary. Point me to 50 people online who think I’m super sexy, I’ll point you to 50 more who say, ‘He’s old and looks like my dad,'” said Hamm. “It’s not universal. If you buy into that, you’re crazy.”
SCOTT EASTWOOD: THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER HOT GUYS OUT THERE THOUGH
“I don’t know what that means,” Eastwood said of his sex symbol status. “That’s silly. Honestly, I grew up in California. I’m just one of the guys. And there are so many good-looking guys in California.”
IDRIS ELBA: THE ATTENTION IS CONFUSING
“I’m not sure what it is they see, not to mention that, personally, I feel very awkward. There’s no way all those women would ever sleep with me and go, ‘I really like him,'” said Elba. “Some of them would go, ‘He was really boring or he was a bit aggressive or, urgh, actor.'”
DANIEL RADCLIFFE: THERE’S A DOUBLE STANDARD WE MUST ADDRESS
“Around the time of rom-com What If coming out, a lot of people were saying, ‘You’re really an unconventional romantic lead.’ And so eventually I got bored of hearing that and kind of picked someone up on it. So I was like ‘What about me is unconventional, exactly? Like, tell me.’ And she said, ‘Well, I think it’s probably the fact that you know, we associated you with playing Harry, the young boy wizard,'” recalled Radcliffe. “My immediate response to that was, ‘Well, the male population had no problem sexualizing Emma Watson immediately.'”
JOHN SLATTERY: WELL, THIS IS JUST AWKWARD
“I don’t think anybody who is thought of [as sexy] in any way, shape or form is comfortable with it,” said the Mad Men actor.
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH: SAY WHAT YOU WANT … IF IT HELPS MY CAREER
“Work-wise, it builds a momentum, which means I’ve got the most fantastic opportunities – or at least doors open to prove myself at the next level, and that attention has been a huge help,” said Cumberbatch. “As long as it helps me find good roles, my response is, ‘Bring it on!'”
JAMIE DORNAN: ISN’T EVERYBODY A SEX SYMBOL THESE DAYS ANYWAY?
“There are so f– many young actors in that bracket now that it’s a bit of a hollow crown,” said the Fifty Shades of Grey star. “You’d be hard-pressed to find an actor who isn’t a sex symbol somewhere.”
