Matt Takes "Sexiest" Mantle, at Last
Matt Damon is proof positive: Put in the legwork—or, as it happens, the ab work—and you, too, can achieve your dreams.
The Bourne Ultimatum star has been crowned People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive, succeeding pal and relentless Damon campaigner George Clooney in the title.
Clooney and Brad Pitt, both two-time titleholders themselves, have long championed Damon for the Sexiest Man mantle and should be pleased to know their constant efforts have not gone unnoticed by the 37-year-old.
"First off, I must say I was floored when I heard you guys voted me the Sexiest Man Alive for 2007," Damon wrote in a letter to the magazine, which he signed, simply, "Matty."
"I guess all the campaigning finally paid off. Ditching Clooney as a campaign manager and going with Brad for the final push was an emotional decision, but I knew it was going to be tight and the youth vote was going to make or break me."
For his part, Clooney weighed in on Damon's crowning year, claiming it was his protégé's stellar prosthetic work in Ocean's Thirteen, rather than his latest Bourne incarnation, that clinched the honor.
"Once they realized even with a big rubber nose he could still look hot, that did it," Clooney said.
As for the '06 and '97 titleholder, he shared the vision that clinched his own aesthetic appreciation of his frequent costar.
"The very first time I noticed was when he was in a green Speedo in The Talented Mr. Ripley. But there's a lot that goes into it. He'd come to my house and say, 'Listen, does this move make me sexy?' Brad and I worked with him a lot on his walk and on his posture.
"I told him this is the next step for him, because after a while movies get old. How much money and how many accolades do you need? What you really want is this sash and this tiara, and he's got it now and he can retire."
Clooney wasn't the only former titleholder to congratulate Damon on an accolade well won.
Longtime pal and Oscar-winning partner Ben Affleck, Sexiest Man Alive '02, gave props to his childhood friend, who apparently overcame some physical adversity on the road to the magazine cover.
"For a guy like Matt, 4-foot-11, 295 pounds, it's a heck of an achievement," Affleck said. "Matt has accomplished so many great things and won so many prizes, but if I know anything, he holds this most dear among them."
Still, Affleck said that while Damon may play the humble card now, he always knew the Sexiest Man title was in his future.
"A lot of the guys in the neighborhood used to poke fun at Matty 'Spark Plug' (what we called him when he got a little older) when he would ride around on his Huffy telling some of the littler kids that he was really sexy and only getting sexier."
Maybe so, but for Damon's money, the real Sexiest Man Alive these days is fellow New Englander Tom Brady.
"At the risk of being forward, if you asked me (which you didn't) I would suggest Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for this award," he wrote. "He's like a taller, better-looking version of me anyway."
All joking briefly aside, Damon said the unexpected title ("a mantle I wasn't meant to hold"), is a genuine honor.
"You gave an aging suburban dad the ego boost of a lifetime," Damon said. "My nine-year-old stepdaughter now thinks I'm cool—well, cooler."
People's annual Sexiest Man Alive issue hits newsstands Friday.
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