14 DAY TRIAL // Take that, Kit Harington! The “Game of Thrones” star has been getting plenty of media attention in recent months after saying that he found it offensive when people called him a “hunk” and objectified him, but “True Blood” actor Joe Manganiello is actually happy to be noticed for his good looks.
Joe, who will be seen next on the big screen in the testosterone-packed summer release “Magic Mike XXL,” where he plays a male exotic dancer, is featured in the latest issue of Details magazine. Some photos from the spread are included in the gallery below.
No false modesty here
Celebrity pundits always had a blast with comments like this, regardless of whether they came from Harington or the likes of Jessica Biel. Kit claimed that he didn’t want to be referred to as a “hunk” because that somehow annulled the work he was doing on TV and in film, whereas Biel once said she was “too pretty” to get the movie roles she wanted, the meatier ones.
Joe would never make this mistake: he’s a man who trains hard, who eats right and who has the body of an athlete. It would probably be a shame if people didn’t pay attention to it, because all that work would have been for nothing.
“Why would I [mind being objectified]? I don’t think men care why women like them, as long as they do. That’s the point of the nerd in high school who makes it big. You work that hard for a reason. You want to have access to the dating pool,” he explains for the publication.
At least he’s not feigning modesty, and badly so.
Fans who are looking for the next opportunity to objectify Joe can do so in the aforementioned summer release, the sequel to the surprise hit “Magic Mike.” Based on the trailers and photos released so far, Joe gets plenty of screentime to flash his bulging biceps and well-defined six-pack. Just so you know.
Thou doth protest too much
Objectifying someone, whether on film or in real life, is not cool, to say the least. From this perspective, Joe’s “invitation” to do so seems strange, but what he’s really saying is that, for a man who puts in so much time and effort to look his best, he wants people to pay attention to him for it.
It’s like when you go on a diet and lose a lot of weight, and then not one of your friends / co-workers says anything about it. The sense of accomplishment is still there, of course, but it’s dampened by the sadness that people didn’t remark it.
At the opposite pole are celebrities like Kit and Jessica, both of whom are known more for their looks than for their professional accomplishments. With their comments, they tried to make it sound as if their beauty was eclipsing their big realizations in the industry, when in reality, said accomplishments weren’t that great to begin with.
Harington is yet to prove his worth outside of “Game of Thrones,” and judging by “Pompeii,” he might not have what it takes to become a leading man in film. Biel was box-office for years, before making a deliberate decision to focus on supporting roles.
As much as they wanted to convince the world that their failures did not reflect their lack of real acting skills, but was a consequence of being pigeonholed as the “pretty type,” it just made no sense. At least Joe is honest, even though his acting skills leave a lot to be desired as well.
