'Ant-Man' actor Paul Rudd named this year's 'Sexiest Man Alive'

Paul Rudd says even his wife didn't believe it when he was named People's Sexiest Man Alive. Photo: Reuters

Paul Rudd has officially been deemed People magazine's 2021 Sexiest Man Alive, which came as a surprise even to the actor himself.

"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," he admitted to People in its November cover story.

The Ant-Man actor wasn't the only one surprised by the news, as even his own wife found it hard to believe. "She was stupefied, 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?"

Now that the feeling has sunk in for the 52-year-old actor, he is now determined to never let people forget about it. "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," he said.

Rudd also expects to be invited to "sexy dinners with Clooney and Pitt and B Jordan", who had all previously held the title.

There is no rest for the Sexiest Man though, as he prepares for the release of his next film, the reboot of Ghostbusters: Afterlife which premieres in Malaysia in December.