Memes from the 2007 Pixar animation Ratatouille were brought up by online commentators to suggest that there was a group of new male celebrities considered Hollywood’s latest sex symbols despite (or because of?) having “rodent-like” features. These included Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, the stars of tennis threesome drama Challengers, Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan, and others. In May, as The Hollywood Reporter published its controversial “new A-List” of stars for 2024, an online phrase “hot rodent man” became a contentious topic in and of itself.
Glen Powell (Hit Man) and Jeremy Allen White (The Bear). Timothée Chalamet, Adam Driver, Matty Healy, from 1975, Tom Holland, and Adam Driver were also purportedly examples of the “hot rodent” look. Angular features, a bigger nose, and messy hair were the physical traits that the style had in common. Who Is a ‘Rodent Man’? was a June question posed by The New York Times, among others. The exchange had reached its zenith.
