Is Brad Pitt still hot at 61? What about a septuagenarian — and former James Bond — like Pierce Brosnan? What to do with a problem like Tom Cruise? And who, really, is the sexiest male celebrity born anytime before Gerald Ford was in the White House?
Could it be Idris Elba? Keanu Reeves? Jamie Foxx? Pedro Pascal? Hugh Jackman? Or another former James Bond, Daniel Craig?
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 24: Idris Elba attends Amazon’s “Heads Of State” World Premiere at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on June 24, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
AARP, the nonprofit that advocates for older Americans on a range of issues, also likes to dip into culture and entertainment, and the latest issue of its popular AARP magazine has gotten into the People game of turning society’s’ gaze onto the desirability of male stars, as opposed to famous women. The magazine has done so by releasing its first ever list of the Hottest Actors over 50.
Over the years, People’s annual “Sexiest Man Alive” cover has celebrated the attractiveness of such male idols as Pitt, George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Harrison Ford and even of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine.
NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JULY 05: Actor Keanu Reeves looks on in the paddock before qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 05, 2025 in Northampton, England. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)
Not surprisingly, there is some overlap between People magazine’s Sexiest Men and this new list produced by AARP magazine. Of course, AARP focuses on the attractiveness of men of a certain age. AARP also gives out its own annual “Movies for Grownups” awards to celebrate films that resonate with older audiences as a way to fight ageism in the entertainment industry.
For its Hottest Actors list, AARP has created a list of 25 men in their 50s, 60s and 70s who it says “exude the kind of magnetism, vibrancy, heart and soul that amounts to that rare, intangible superpower: star quality.”
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 08: Johnny Depp attends the “Modigliani – Three Days On The Wing Of Madness” UK Premiere at the Curzon Mayfair on July 08, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
And while some of People’s Sexiest Men have graduated into becoming AARP Hottest Actors, there are some SMA guys who have been left off the new list. In a few cases, the reasons for the snubs seem obvious. Cancel culture has seeped into the Hottest Actors consideration. Hence the omission of Mel Gibson and Johnny Depp, the latter a two-time SMA cover star.
In a few other cases, the actors have largely retreated from the center of the cultural conversation — i.e. Nick Nolte and Richard Gere, the latter who also was twice put on a People SMA cover.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 15: Harrison Ford attends the Apple TV+ “Shrinking” Panel during the TV Academy’s Inaugural Televerse Festival at JW Marriott LA Live on August 15, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Still, it’s a bit mysterious that Harrison Ford didn’t make the Hottest Actors list, especially since the 1998 SMA cover boy is still making movies, walking red carpets and looking pretty good at 83. And what about the adorably ageless Paul Rudd, who was the Sexiest Man as recently as 2021?
Yes, Pitt made the Hottest Actors list. A two-time Sexiest Man from 1995 and 2002, Pitt placed quite high on the AARP list, though he wasn’t No. 1, despite looking pretty hot, and dashingly weathered, in the hit summer film, “F:1.” Pitt actually came in No. 6, behind his “Ocean’s 11” co-star Clooney, who also was honored twice as People’s SMA.
One interesting snub is Ben Affleck, an SMA from 2002, while his good friend and frequent collaborator, Matt Damon, made the AARP list. Damon, who was an SMA in 2007, is No. 12 on the AARP list. He was praised for being “one of the industry’s most bankable — yet still easygoing and accessible — stars.” Affleck isn’t known to be “easygoing,” and maybe the AARP judges thought they were over-exposed to his personal messiness via his Jennifer Lopez drama.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MAY 31: (L-R) Matt Damon and Ben Affleck attend Netflix Tudum 2025: The Live Event at The Kia Forum on May 31, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
The AARP list also doesn’t include some other major male stars who are still working. While these actors never received People magazine honors, they attained heartthrob status at least once in their careers. These omissions include Antonio Banderas, Daniel Day-Lewis, Colin Firth, Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner. Since Leonardo Di Caprio and Bradley Cooper both turned 50 this year, they also could been included on the AARP list — but they weren’t.
So, here are the actors that AARP considers to be the Hottest Actors Over 50, and see if you agree with their choice for no. 1:
25. Jamie Foxx, 57,
24. Robert Downey, Jr., 60
23. Billy Porter, 55
22. Ken Watanabe, 65
21. Pierce Brosnan, 72
20. Hugh Jackman, 56
19. Benjamin Bratt, 61
18. Rob Lowe, 61
17. Ricky Martin, 53
16. Javier Bardem, 56
15. Jon Hamm, 54
14. Morris Chestnut, 56
13. Matthew McConaughey, 55
12. Matt Damon, 54
11. Colman Domingo, 55
10. Keanu Reeves, 60
9. Dwayne Johnson, 53
8. Patrick Dempsey, 59
7. Daniel Craig, 57
6. Brad Pitt, 61
5. Denzel Washington, 70
4. George Clooney, 64
3. Noah Wylie, 54
2. Pedro Pascal, 50
1. Idris Elba, 52