Sign-In
Cart
Cosmosexuals: Screen Acting, Stardom, and Male Sex Appeal
Hardcover
ISBN13: 9781477332832
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Published: Dec 2 2025
Pages: 284
Weight: 1.30
Height: 1.21 Width: 6.21 Depth: 9.11
Language: English
An examination of male screen sex appeal and the ways that race, ethnicity, and national origin combine with performance tools and film and television style to aid or inhibit actors' circulation on an increasingly global stage.
Sex appeal is complicated, especially for screen actors. Looking good is not enough. Charisma and charm have to register when the camera rolls. And sexiness has to travel. Today's heartthrobs are expected to raise temperatures all around the world.
Cosmosexuals theorizes male sex appeal as a form of capital in an age of international stardom. Screen scholar Mark Gallagher assembles a diverse cast--Idris Elba, Pedro Pascal, Simu Liu, Ryan Gosling, and more--analyzing how each actor uses his appearance, voice, and movement to perform in ways that viewers across cultural divides register as sexually appealing. Cosmosexuals also explores the intersection of global sex appeal and exoticism in historical and contemporary contexts--from the malleable racial identities of Omar Sharif and Conrad Veidt to Mads Mikkelsen's accented whiteness--and assesses the barriers that confine nonwhite actors, in spite of their talent or celebrity. Far more than handsome faces and chiseled abs, male sex symbols emerge as laborers subject to disciplinary regimes steeped in patriarchy, racism, and structural inequity. As such, they have much to tell us about the economies of taste at work in the construction of screen masculinity and the terms of human desire.
Also from
Gallagher, Mark
Also in
Film Studies
Visions of Japanese Modernity: Articulations of Cinema, Nation, and Spectatorship, 1895-1925
Gerow, Aaron
Paperback
Dreaming of Cinema: Spectatorship, Surrealism, and the Age of Digital Media
Lowenstein, Adam
Paperback
Ancient Rome at the Cinema: Story and Spectacle in Hollywood and Rome
Theodorakopoulos, Elena
Paperback
What Have They Built You to Do?: The Manchurian Candidate and Cold War America
Gonzalez, Gaspar
Jacobson, Matthew Frye
Paperback
The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: A True Life Murder Mystery from the Birth of the Movies
Paul Fischer
Paperback
Anime from Akira to Princess Mononoke: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation
Napier, S.
Paperback
The Last Kings of Hollywood: Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg--And the Battle for the Soul of American Cinema
Fischer, Paul
Hardcover
Scream with Me: Horror Films and the Rise of American Feminism (1968-1980)
Johnson, Eleanor
Hardcover
Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum
Fox, Michael J.
Fortenberry, Nelle
Hardcover
Hollywood Babylon: The Legendary Underground Classic of Hollywood's Darkest and Best Kept Secrets
Anger, Kenneth
Paperback
Partially Devoured: How Night of the Living Dead Saved My Life and Changed the World
Kraus, Daniel
Hardcover
Star Wars Dad Jokes Strike Back: The Best Worst Jokes and Puns from a Galaxy Far, Far Away. . . .
Knox, Kelly
Hardcover
Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror
Cullins, Ashley
Paperback
The World of Black Film: A Journey Through Cinematic Blackness in 100 Films with a Foreword by John Akomfrah
Clark, Ashley
Hardcover
The Magic of Minalima: Celebrating the Graphic Design Studio Behind the Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts Films
Denton, Nell
Minalima
Hardcover
Disney: Winnie the Pooh: The Hundred-Acre Wood Cookbook: Family-Friendly Recipes Featuring Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, and Most o
Asmus, James
Jao, Vivian
Tarpy, Liz
Hardcover
Laika: The Magic Behind a Stop-Motion Dream Factory: Two Decades of Groundbreaking Animation from Coraline to Wildwood
Inguanzo, Ozzy
Hardcover
Lucas Wars: The True Story of George Lucas and the Creation of Star Wars
Hopman, Laurent
Roche, Renaud
Hardcover
Studio Ghibli Origami: Unofficial Papercraft Projects to Create Totoro, Ponyo, Jiji, and More!
Editions, Insight
Paperback
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Official Cookbook: Recipes from the Four Nations
Dorsey, Jenny
Hardcover
Black Film: A History of Black Representation and Participation in the Movies
Walker, David F.
Hardcover
Disney Dreams Collection Thomas Kinkade Studios Disney Princess Coloring Book
Kinkade, Thomas
Paperback
House of Psychotic Women: Expanded Edition: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films
Janisse, Kier-La
Paperback
Godzilla: The First 70 Years: The Official Illustrated History of the Japanese Productions
Ryfle, Steve
Godziszewski, Ed
Hardcover
Star Wars Dad Jokes: The Best Worst Jokes and Puns from a Galaxy Far, Far Away . . . .
Knox, Kelly
Hardcover
Godzilla: The Encyclopedia: Shinji Nishikawa Unravels the Depths of Godzilla
Nishikawa Shinji
Paperback
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride
Elwes, Cary
Layden, Joe
Paperback
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation: Station Wagon and Griswold Family Tree: With Sound!
Running Press
Paperback
Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film - Updated Edition
Clover, Carol J.
Paperback
Making Mary Poppins: The Sherman Brothers, Walt Disney, and the Creation of a Classic Film
Pierce, Todd James
Hardcover
Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
Crouse, Megan
Richau, Amy
Brooks, Dan
Hardcover
Every Time a Bell Rings: The Legacy of It's a Wonderful Life, America's Most Beloved Holiday Film
St James, Emily
Theisen, Lauren
Hardcover
Studio Ghibli Bento Cookbook: Unofficial Recipes Inspired by Spirited Away, Ponyo, and More!
Rossi, Barbara
Azuki
Hardcover
Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Bestiary: A Definitive Guide to the Creatures of the Goblin King's Realm
Bende, S. T.
Hardcover
Star Wars Vader's Little Princess: (Star Wars Kids Book, Star Wars Children's Book, Geek Dad Books)
Brown, Jeffrey
Hardcover
Nightmare Before Christmas: The Tiny Book of Jack Skellington
Vitale, Brooke
Insight Editions
Hardcover
They Kill People: Bonnie and Clyde, a Hollywood Revolution, and America's Obsession with Guns and Outlaws
Ellis, Kirk
Hardcover
Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook: Pacific Recipes Inspired by Motunui
Monteith, Katie
Fiso, Monique
Hardcover
Dog's Day: The True Story of a Bank Robbery, Gay Liberation, and Toxic Love That Inspired a Hollywood Classic
Prigge, Matthew J.
Hardcover
Roddy McDowall: An Actor's Life -- From How Green Was My Valley to Lassie to Planet of the Apes
Garza Bernstein, Samuel
Hardcover
Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever
Singer, Matt
Hardcover
I Love K-Pop Coloring and Activity Book: For Fans of Kpop Demon Hunters, Bts, Blackpink, Katseye, and K-Pop Idols
Reel Ink Press
Paperback
Hitchcock and Herrmann: The Friendship and Film Scores That Changed Cinema
Smith, Steven C.
Hardcover
Harry Potter: Make Your Own Chocolate Frogs: Silicone Chocolate Mold and Gift Box Set
Insight Editions
Paperback
Guillermo del Toro: Cabinet of Curiosities [Reissue]: My Notebooks, Collections, and Other Obsessions
del Toro, Guillermo
Hardcover
Star Wars: The Official Crochet Pattern Book: Crochet Your Way Through the Galaxy
Insight Editions
Parker, Leah
Hardcover
Ready for My Close-Up: The Making of Sunset Boulevard and the Dark Side of the Hollywood Dream
Lubin, David M.
Hardcover
Welcome to the Family: The Explosive Story Behind Fast & Furious, the Blockbusters That Supercharged the World
Hertz, Barry
Hardcover
Rewinding the '80s: Cinema Under the Influence of Music Videos, Action Stars, and a Cold War
Malahy, John
Paperback
The Unofficial Kpop Demon Hunters Handbook: A Fan Guide & Activity Book That Slays
Gabbara, Princess
Paperback
Brain Games - Horror Movies Word Search Puzzles: Do You Dare to Solve These 84 Puzzles?
Publications International Ltd
Brain Games
Paperback
Star Wars: The Mini Book of Lightsabers: (Lightsaber Collection, Lightsaber Guide, Gifts for Star Wars Fans)
Insight Editions
Hardcover
F1 the Movie: The Making of the Most Authentic Racing Film of All Time
Salisbury, Mark
Medland, Chris
Hardcover
The Unofficial Studio Ghibli Cookbook: 50+ Delicious Recipes Inspired by Your Favorite Japanese Animated Films
Yun, Jessica
Hardcover
Dark City Dames: The Women Who Defined Film Noir (Revised and Expanded Edition)
Muller, Eddie
Hardcover