Jan 22
Is Jacob Elordi 2024's Hottest Star?
READ TIME: 10 MIN.
It has been quite a week for Jacob Elordi. First, he received something of a surprise BAFTA (the British Academy Award) nomination for his performance in "Saltburn," Emerald Fennel's provocative take on class and sexuality that has resonated better in her home country than it did in the States. In other words, don't expect Elordi to repeat here in the US when the Oscar nominations are released on Tuesday. (For a reason why he received the BAFTA nomination, click here.)
Perhaps it was with hopes of upping a shot at a nom, the Aussie hunk (best-known for the romcom "The Kissing Booth" and the very unromcom HBO series "Euphoria") made a pair of high-profile US television appearances: Thursday night on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon," followed by hosting "Saturday Night Live" on the weekend.
Whether or not he influenced any Academy voters remains to be seen, but he did confirm his status as all-around movie star hunk, as well as "fashionista" status with his casual look on "The Tonight Show." For those who haven't been following the 26-year old star rise to stardom, he was pegged "the new King of Hollywood" by GQ late last year due to his fashion sense that has been influenced, the magazine claims, by his love of such stars as James Dean, Marlon Brando and Steve McQueen. And his lean, 6'4" frame and quiet masculinity brings to mind another Hollywood luminary – Gary Cooper.
In writing about Elordi in November, GQ gushed he's "not so much a tall drink of water as the entire office water fountain; and when speaking with fans appeared to be "like an actual emissary from the planet of the beautiful."
That last remark informed his appearance on "SNL," where his awkward intro (he said he was not a good "public speaker") turned into Q&A with the audience (i.e., SNL cast members) who just hungered for his chiseled good looks. (The earlier GQ profile, also wrote "that jawline belongs in the Jawline Hall of Fame.")
His hotness became the subject of two other sketches – one in which he's the obnoxious, but drop dead gorgeous, contestant on a dating show that a bachelorette goes crazy for. And another where he crashes a female-only Alcoholic Anonymous meeting where the women hunger for him, especially when he says that sobriety has made him a player with women.
And it was what he wore on "The Tonight Show" that underscored his influence as a fashionista, even in a casual polo sweater that GQ called "an elevated version of what we all want to wear all day every day."
They described it as "boxy" and "finished on the waist without going full TikTok cropped. It's the piece with the flexibility of a Russian gymnast; it goes with jeans, it goes with shorts, it goes with suits, it goes with everything–and it's on sale for just less than $300."
GQ adds that it is from the luxury French label Ami and is "a signature piece of the eternally ascendant label. It's minimalist, but without the usual po-facedness that comes from minimalist brands. Instead, creative director Alexandre Mattiussi has forged something that feels preppy and playful, but deeply Parisian; self-seriousness that's prone to the occasional wink. Plus, it's wearable. You'll have seen Ami's heart logo on more than a few knits in pubs where first dates are rife."
And it went viral. By Monday morning, there is barely any to be found on the websites that cater to the Ami label. Such, it can be said, due to Elordi's star power.
On "The Tonight Show," there was another example of Elordi's rising stardom when he was given a candle said to have been made from the bathwater from the infamous scene in "Saltwater" in which he masturbates in a bathtub, followed by Barry Keoghan drinking from its water.
Elordi, writes Business Insider, "briefly smelled the candle and then pretended to slurp it. 'It smells like a washing room. Like detergent,' Elordi said. 'His clothes are clean.'"
He added that he became aware of the candles after his "Priscilla" costar Cailee Spaeny sent him videos about the growing trend.
And he added: "I want to know who's making the money, you know? Like, 'Great. Where's my money?'"
Check out pics from Elordi's IG:
