Idris Elba Is Sexiest Man Alive — & He Wants You To Vote

While we await the results of the 2018 midterms, rest your weary head on this bit of good news: Idris Elba is People's Sexiest Man Alive! Unlike the House or the Senate, this role is a largely decorative one that will not heretofore affect our lives. But! It's culturally significant, and Elba deserves the spot.

Speaking to People about his new role, Elba said that he wasn't always the beloved DJ-actor that he is today. When he was in school, he was a gawky 6'3''.

"I got picked on a little bit," he admitted, "but as soon as I could grow a mustache, I was the coolest kid on the block. Grew a mustache, had some muscles, bonkers.” You heard it here first: All Elba needed to become the man he is today is a mustache. (Is that why Timothée Chalamet is currently sporting a whisper-thin mustache?)

Elba, who recently proposed to girlfriend Sabrina Dhowre, also told People that, when it comes to making a connection, it's all about "eye contact" and "empathy."

"You know, sort of reading someone’s vibe," he said.

Elba is coming off a banner year. In 2017 alone, he appeared in Molly's Game, The Mountain Between Us, and The Dark Tower. This year, he appeared in Avengers: Infinity War, reprising his role as Heimdall. In 2019, he will appear in Tom Hooper's upcoming adaptation of Cats as MaCavity, the mischievous mystery cat. (This would make him the first SMA to play a sexy cat in an adaptation of a T.S. Eliot poem. Sexy comes in all forms!) He'll also, for the non-Cats fans in the back, be playing the Hunchback of Notre Dame in an upcoming Netflix Original.

Finally, Elba's first move as the newest Sexiest Man Alive is to ask that you go vote — in a grateful tweet, Elba said he was "honoured" to be the SMA, but he also wanted his follower to get their votes in.

"I'm honoured & thankful. What’s even more important is your vote in the midterm elections. Your vote can make a difference!" he wrote. We stan a politically active sex symbol!