Hautest Actor
Johnny Depp
While George Clooney and Jeff Bridges are both up for the “Best Actor” nod at this year’s Academy Awards, our pick for this year’s hautest goes to the venerable Johnny Depp. Because he’s not only hot, he’s über haute: he owns his own island, Little Hall’s Pond Cay. It’s a 45-acre tropical paradise that the notoriously private actor uses to escape and decompress after directors call “That’s a wrap” on the sets of his blockbuster films (because it seems whatever Depp stars in ends up being a blockbuster). And we are sure it’s a very-much-needed sanctuary, as Depp takes on some rather intense characters, such as Edward Scissorhands for a movie of the same name, Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow, Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the notorious Jack Sparrow in the highly lucrative Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy.
He’s quite the box-office draw; films starring Depp have grossed billions worldwide. He’s been nominated for a slew of awards, including three “Best Actor” nominations from the Academy Awards. This season, audiences are lining up to see Depp’s portrayal of the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s adaptation of fairytale classic Alice in Wonderland, which is one of the most anticipated releases of 2010.
Hautest Actress
Meryl Streep
What’s most notable about Streep’s career, other than her inherent and obvious talent, is its longevity. Now 60 years old, Ms. Streep just keeps getting better and better, and continues to rack up the accolades to prove it. In an industry that is obsessed with youth and the next best thing, Streep has proven staying—and leading—power. Vanity Fair’s recent cover feature on the actress refers to her as the new box-office queen, and rightfully so. She’s up for a yet another Oscar this year for her portrayal of Julia Child in Julie & Julia, which puts her at a record 16 nominations. The closest runner-ups are Katherine Hepburn and Jack Nicholson, both of whom have earned 12 nominations.
Her career began on the stage in New York in the 1960s. Her first feature film, Julia, was released in 1977, and the talented actress followed it up the next year with The Deer Hunter, which earned her the first Academy Award nomination, this time for “Best Supporting Actress.” She won the “Best Actress” category in 1982 for her work in Sophie’s Choice.
In recent years, she chilled the hearts of aspiring magazine writers and editors everywhere with her portrayal of Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, which earned her Academy Award, SAG, and Golden Globe nominations in the “Best Actress” categories. Then she switched gears and played a country music singer in A Prairie Home Companion, following that up with another musical role in a silver screen adaptation of ABBA musical Mamma Mia! She then transformed into a nun for Doubt, which again earned her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations, securing her the SAG award for “Best Actress.” This winter, she starred alongside Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin in It’s Complicated, a film in which the three stars found themselves in a tangled love triangle.
