16. Daniel Craig 
Rank last year: 3
This hunky and exceedingly gay-friendly British actor is known to most as
James Bond, but he's more than just a hot 40-year-old action hero who looks
good in a tux (or a pair of square-cut swimming trunks, for that matter). While
Craig's profile has been lower in recent months (likely contributing to his
slide from #3 last year), he's been hard at work in various projects that
showcase his range, be it playing an intellectual explorer in The Golden
Compass, condemned murderer Perry Smith in Infamous (in which he shared a gay
smooch), or a xenophobic man on the run in The Invasion.
We, of course. love to see Daniel in all his forms, but we'd be lying if we
weren't most looking forward to the blond Bond's return to form in the
upcoming Quantum of Solace. Whether or not the teased rumors about Craig's
desire to have Bond explore his sexuality are true, he's proven himself an
actor who is comfortable in his skin playing men of all preferences. And with
that skin, who wouldn't be?
15. Brad Pitt
Rank last year: 12
Brad Pitt was voted People Magazine’s sexiest man alive twice (in 1995 and
2000), so it’s no wonder that he would rank somewhere on our Hot 100. Ask
anyone to compile a list of handsome celebrities and Pitt is sure to appear at
the top. Still, the actor is not really thought of as a particular “gay
favorite.” No doubt he would be if he
ever gets around to playing a gay movie role. (We refuse to count his turn as
the cinematically neutered Louis in
Interview with a Vampire.) Even
though Pitt has never played gay, you get the sense that he would in a
heartbeat if the right role came along.
This is one leading man who’s not afraid to take risks.
In 2009 he will star as Ron Woodruff in The
Dallas Buyer’s Club. The project is based on the true life story of
Woodruff, a heterosexual (and homophobic) electrician who contracted AIDS in
the mid-eighties. Woodruff eventually became an AIDS activist and founded an
organization (the “Dallas Buyers Club” of the title) to assist AIDS patients in
getting their life-prolonging meds.
The actor has also voiced support for gay rights issues. In 2006 Pitt
famously told Esquire magazine that he and Angelina Jolie would only consider
marriage when gays were allowed to marry in this country. Okay, so California is not exactly the entire
country, but it’s a big enough step forward that wedding bells could be imminent
for Jolie and Pitt. We can only wish them all the best.
14. T. R. Knight*
Rank last year: 8
Clearly, 35-year-old Theodore Raymond Knight has been hitting the gym this
past year. He was always cute but now he’s downright chiseled and handsome. The
writers of Grey’s Anatomy took some heat this past season for romantically pairing
his character, George O’Malley, with Katherine Heigl’s Izzie. Many Grey’s fans complained there was no
chemistry between the two, but we very much liked the pairing and had no
problem accepting openly gay T.R. in a heterosexually romantic role.
We’re a little less sanguine about Knight’s real-life pairing with
19-year-old Mark Cornelson. While we
wish them every happiness, it saddens us that the handsome Minnesota native is off the dating market.
And dashing any of our residual hopes - he also apparently likes younger men.
Oh, well.
As for making the Hot 100, T.R. told AfterElton.com,
“Wait a second… I don’t even have abs! Thank you, AfterEltoners. I’m very flattered.”
13. Jensen Ackles 
Rank last year: 35
If you don’t watch the CW network (and before that the WB) it’s quite possible
you’ve never even heard of Jensen Ackles.
But gay fans who do know him must be quite passionate about him. How
else to explain his spot at #13 on the Hot 100?
30-year-old Ackles got his start in 1997 on the daytime soap Days of Our Lives, and then went on to a
recurring role in Jessica Alba’s WB television series, Dark Angel. He followed that
with short stints on Dawson’s Creek
and Smallville before landing his
current gig on the CW series, Supernatural where he co-stars opposite Jared Padalecki (#43 on the Hot100 list). The two actors play brothers on that show,
and if there’s any sibling rivalry between the two, Ackles can take pride in
the fact that he ranked so much higher on the Hot 100!
Also, Ackles is receiving rave reviews for his performance in the as yet
unreleased independent film, Ten Inch
Hero (And before you go getting any ideas, the title refers to a submarine
sandwich.)
