My top three actors that everyone should appreciate aesthetically

Graphic by Emma Fung

Hollywood. A wonderful land of entertainment where anyone can be satisfied, as there are just so many movies and TV shows of various genres. However, while you can find yourself appreciating the cinematography, the plot and the mesmerizing soundtracks in any movie, it’s also important to take a step back to admire other factors

Highly important is the physical attractiveness of the cast. I know it sounds shallow, but in my opinion, that factor can make or break a movie. So without further ado, here are the top three movie men that I believe truly enhance movies purely with their looks. 

1. Orlando Bloom 

I don’t trust my mom’s taste, really. So when she told 5-year-old me I had to watch “Lord of the Rings” for “the plot,” I rolled my eyes in exasperation as I prepared to watch her gush over 40-year-old men for three hours. However, my jaw dropped when a beautiful elf man with long, flowy blond hair entered the screen, a bow and arrow slung across his shoulder. My mom quickly turned to me and excitedly told me that this was Legalas, the character she was talking about, but I was way too focused on the screen to pay her any attention. This was my first encounter with the man, the myth, the legend: Orlando Bloom. 

“Lord of the Rings”  quickly became my favorite movie franchise ever since that magical first impression. Now, don’t get me wrong, the film series itself is nothing short of fantastic. The plot follows a young Hobbit named Frodo, who suddenly finds himself on a quest to destroy the “one ring of power.” He meets dwarves, Orcs, elves and other creatures along his journey, all of whom he forms close bonds with. There is blood, heartbreak and so much more that quickly captured my interest and had me watching the series over and over and over again. 

However, I’m not sure I would have been so engrossed in the series if another man was chosen to play Legolas. There was just something about Orlando Bloom leaping through the air with a box and arrow strapped to his back and a completely blank expression stretched over his face that immediately captured my heart. One particular scene I remember vividly was when he used ONE HAND to swing around a horse’s neck and pull himself onto the animal. I know it’s a little hard to picture, but just know that I forced my dad to rewind that scene approximately seven times. Oh, and don’t even get me started on him in “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

2. Michael B. Jordan

I have been a Marvel fan pretty much my whole life, so I was filled with excitement when I heard about the new movie “Black Panther” coming out back in 2018. I quickly became immersed in the plot and characters, but one character in particular really captured my attention. It’s not just me — my sister’s eyes also widened in awe when Jordan’s character, Killmonger, was introduced in the movie, standing in a museum casually after poisoning a woman’s coffee and setting up a shootout just to steal an artifact. I didn’t say anything at first, in fear of my family judging me for finding a mass murderer attractive, but that fear quickly disappeared when his tragic backstory was revealed. I mean, maybe he did try to kill the Black Panther and take the throne for himself. But he did it to get revenge for his deceased father, and after all, who doesn’t love a family man?

3. Christian Bale (without the beard)

I’m sure that most of you have seen the “sigma male” edits that have been circulating TikTok. Most of them usually include clips of the mastermind serial killer Patrick Bateman from the 2000 film “American Psycho.” Out of completely normal interest, I found myself watching the movie one night. Although I went to bed that night utterly traumatized, at least my eyes were blessed by one hour and 44 minutes of the majestic being that is Christian Bale, even if he was covered in blood for a majority of the time. 

Of course, that horror movie was not the first I had seen of Christian Bale. Back when I was younger, my dad had some odd obsession with getting me and my sister to watch every single one of his favorite action movies of all time. One of these included “The Dark Knight,” in which Batman (Bale) went toe-to-toe with the Joker (Heath Ledger). While I admit that it was rather problematic for Bale’s character to be pursuing a girl while she already had a boyfriend, watching him jump out of a window on a terrifyingly high floor to save her was enough to convince me who to really root for. And when I finally watched Bale’s interviews on Youtube to get a gist of his real personality, I was in complete shock to find out that he had been masking a British accent the whole time. Yep, that really sold the deal for me. 
Of course, there are so many other actors in Hollywood that I often find myself fangirling over. Still, I will always be thankful to these three top actors for shaping me into what I am today: a certified movie connoisseur with impeccable taste in men.