Hollywood’s Most Unexpected Leading Men

With his short stature, large ears and nose, and penchant for awkwardness, Steve Carell is hardly the on-screen heartthrob you’d expect. But there’s something so endearing about his open face, hilarious comedic timing, and twinkly eyes. He wooed crowds in Little Miss Sunshine, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Get Smart and is now starring as the romantic lead in the new film Crazy, Stupid, Love. His romantic-comedy resume won’t stop this summer. Carell has several other projects lined up for 2012, including ones that involve his working alongside acting greats such as Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep, allowing him to make a huge departure from the The Office’s Michael Scott.

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As one of Judd Apatow’s busiest stars, Seth Rogen has appeared in a bevy of films and television shows since his first role in the 1999 NBC series Freaks and Geeks. He scored a lead role in 2007 as an accidental love interest in Knocked Up, opposite Katherine Heigl. Rogen has since lost a considerable amount of weight and cleaned himself up a bit, but back then he was scruffy and chubby, with a love for plaid shirts and nerdy glasses. Still, he was funny and adorable and a total hit with moviegoers.

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Of the Wilson brothers, Luke seems to have nabbed most of the attractive DNA, and yet Owen—with his moplike bleached hairdo and bulbous nose—has snatched up more lead roles than his sexy sibling. In his latest release, Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, Wilson’s sincere, enthusiastic, and endlessly engaging performance is the key to the movie’s appeal.

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Though he did score one of the hottest celeb chicks, Katy Perry, as his wife, Russell Brand is not your conventional male beauty. He’s got gangly limbs and looks like he hasn’t shaved or washed his hair for days, but there’s something about him. His dark, sharp-as-a-tack wit and the intimate gleam in his eye can put even Sherri Shepherd’s celibate knickers in a twist. He’s such a brilliant star in films like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek, and Arthur, we wonder if more romantic roles could be in his future.

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Costarring with Brand in Get Him to the Greek, Jonah Hill (of Superbad fame) is another unlikely male lead. Prior to his recent dramatic weight loss, Hill was a hefty hero who was still irresistibly charming. The film’s subnarrative romance between Hill’s character, Aaron, and Aaron’s girlfriend, Daphne, gave heart to the piece and showed the range of Hill’s acting abilities. He’ll continue his star trajectory in the movie remake of 21 Jump Street, to be released in March 2012.

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With his big nose and droopy jowls, Adam Sandler isn’t your typical Hollywood hunk. Yet he’s played the romantic lead in over fifteen major films. Most recently, he starred opposite Jennifer Aniston in the rom-com Just Go With It. It seems Sandler’s down-to-earth personality and childlike sense of humor more than make up for his lack of striking good looks.

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Steve Buscemi’s looks are almost out-of-this-world odd, yet his intelligence and stellar acting abilities make him totally irresistible to watch. His filmography is pages long, but he scored his big romantic lead in 2001 with Ghost World. Buscemi played Seymour, the love interest of Thora Birch’s character, Enid. Buscemi lent so much heart and depth to the role of the lonely record collector that his bug eyes and craggy face took on their own version of breathtaking beauty.

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Michael Cera is twenty-three, but he looks about fourteen, and his big brown puppy-dog eyes make every woman recall her first junior-high love. While he doesn’t have the rugged looks and suave maturity of, say, George Clooney or Brad Pitt, Cera brings his own appeal to the silver screen. In films like Superbad, Juno, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Cera’s earnest and tender demeanor makes you want to jump into the film and hug him.

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Jim Carrey established his reputation as an off-the-wall, hyperactive comic in films like The Mask, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and The Cable Guy. But in 2004, Carrey took on a completely new kind of role in Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Carrey and Kate Winslet played an estranged couple who have had each other erased from their memories. While the film certainly had its humorous moments, the humor was dark and understated, not the slapstick Carrey is used to performing. But he played the role perfectly and got at the very tender and vulnerable heart of his character.

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James doesn’t fit the pants of a conventional Hollywood heartthrob, but his good-natured humor has granted him plenty of on-screen love luck. From his hit sitcom King of Queens to 2005’s Hitch to the recent Zookeeper, James frequently plays opposite gorgeous women. There’s something endearing and realistic about his portrayals of the average working-class man with a big heart.

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