2006’s Indie Hunks & Foreign Kings

2006 was a relatively tame year when it came to sexy men in indie and foreign features. While some of the gentlemen below deserve Adonis honors (namely number's ten, two, and one), this year's most memorable men are not receiving praise for their abdominal muscles, but instead (gasp) for their talent? Hollywood seems to have the monopoly on the drool worthy D's – Depp, Damon, DiCaprio, but it's the mix of indie faces, some fresh, some familiar, that win our minds then our hearts. From drag queens to dictators, 2006 was full of characters and this list has them all, both on and off the screen.

2006: People Magazine voted him Sexiest Man Alive yet again and the A-list star shows no signs of stopping his actor/director/producer/bachelor ways. With Steven Soderbergh's, The Good German and the establishment of his new production company Smoke House, Clooney spent the year in uniform, buying rights all over the place.
 
2007: With seven films in production, including two more directorial projects – Leatherheads and White Jazz, Clooney is all booked up until 2009. Can't wait for more Oscar worthy indies? Ocean's Thirteen is due out this spring and can hopefully satiate the Clooney hunger for a while. Michael Clayton is up next..in the fall line-up.
 

2006: Although he's been around for quite some time in the form of Ali G, Cohen broke through middle America (much to most of middle America's dismay) with his film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Love him or hate him, he's making waves and getting people talking. He also practised his French in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
 
2007: Starring in Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd and the Tina Fey currently-director-less-script Curly Oxide and Vic Thrill.
 

2006: The London born actor of Nigerian descent is working his way toward household name status, despite the difficult pronunciation. In 2006 he proved his range of abilities playing a cross-dressing cabaret singer in Julian Jarrold's Kinky Boots and then a domineering zealot in Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men.  
 
2007:Ridley Scott's American Gangster and Michael Almereyda's Tonight at Noon.
 

2006: Previously known for the teenage-sob-fest The Notebook, Gosling seems to have found a more mature audience with Ryan Fleck's Half Nelson. Gosling's performance of the drug-addicted but charming history teacher is so moving he has earned himself a permanent seat at the adult table.
 
2007: Playing opposite Anthony Hopkins in Gregory Hoblit's Fracture and opposite a doll in Craig Gillespie's Lars And The Real Girl . 
 

2006: Already receiving a good amount of Oscar buzz for his portrayl of the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, Whitaker rejuvenated what felt like a lagging career (Panic Room and Phone Booth?) this year. Whitaker craftly reveals Amin's brutal nature subtly and slowly, showing all sides of a cruel but human character.
 
2007: Possibly taking home a statue in addition to playing “Happiness” in Jieho Lee's The Air I Breathe, Howard Lewis in Pete Travis' Rashomon-esque Vantage Point, and Philip in Philippe Caland's Ripple Effect. 
 

2006: With Little Miss Sunshine's runaway success this summer, the quirky cast has been sharing a whole lotta limelight. As the inappropriate and obnoxious grandfather, Arkin stands out as the lovable asshole. In what is being called the funniest movie of 2006, Arkin is the funniest.
 
2007: Bee Movie and Gavin Hood's Rendition. Hopefully another laugh-fest in 2008?
 

2006: Okay okay, so he's not an actor, but you've got to hand it to the guy – who else can make a power point presentation on climate crisis sexy? A serious issue thankfully brought to the attention of the public, Al Gore deserves a spot in the top 5 for being a mover and a shaker.
 
2007: Traveling the country, spreading the word, running for President? We can only dream…
 

2006: Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno) has become the foreign favorite and the leading contender for Oscar gold. As the evil facist Capitán Vidal, Lopez is more scary than the fairy tale characters of the underworld (even the guy with the eyes in his hands), proving reality can be more frigthening than the imaginary.
 
2007: Hopefully starring in more films with U.S. distribution. In the meantime, Lopez is set to appear in Arnaud des Pallieres' Parc and Samuel Bechetrit's J'ai Toujours rêvé d'être un Gangster. 
 

2006: Move over Brad. Aptly named “The Prom King” in Todd Field's Little Children, Wilson has it all – talent, charm, and gooood looks. His adulterous affair with Kate Winslet leaves the audience wishing their suburbia looked like that and wondering where this guy came from. With a small role in Running With Scissors and superb performances in Angels in America and Hard Candy under his belt, Wilson is rocketing to stardom.
 
2007: Ed Burns' Purple Violets, Lajos Koltai's Evening, Tracey Hecht's Life in Flight, probably appearing as People Magazine's Sexiest Man of the Year, sorry George. 
 

2006: A huge year for the adorable Mexican actor, Bernal hit it big with three indie faves – James Marsh's The King (his first English speaking role), Michel Gondry's The Science of Sleep, and of course Alejandro González Iñárritu's Babel. Not that his career wasn't secure before this year (Bernal cemented his place in the industry with Amores perros and Y tu mamá también back in 2000/2001), but 2006 proved that not only should he be in the top ten, he should be numero uno.
 
2007: A directorial debut with Déficit along with lead roles in Carlos Cuarón's Rudo y Cursi (a Diego Luna/ Bernal reunion) and Hector Babenco's The Past (O Pasado).