15 Ugly Actors Who Are Weirdly Hot AF

To make it big in Hollywood, usually you have to be genetically blessed. If you're not, then you had better have an interesting enough face that people will describe you as “striking”, and loads of talent to convince audiences that you could be lust-worthy (even though you don't look anything like the Tinseltown guys and gals who grace our screens). We're so inundated with hot bodies and gorgeous faces that they kind of start to blur together after a while. It's a good thing we've got some ugly-hot actors to break the monotony, then!

Maybe their hotness is defined because of a particularly sexy role, maybe it's due in part to a steamy accent that makes us want to listen to them forever, or maybe it's just something we can't put our finger on, some crazy magnetic energy that draws us into their web, even though objectively, aesthetically, they're nowhere near handsome. These 15 actors are the ones we can't really explain our crushes on, or why they keep popping up in our most adult of dreams, but even though some might call them ugly, we know that in truth they're actually hot AF!

15 Edward Norton

You can totally disagree with us here and yell until you're blue in the face about how hot Edward Norton is, but you still have to admit that he's kind of a weird-looking guy. Sure, he's definitely had his sexy moments, like when he was a buffed-up, white supremacist in American History X or a troubled guy with a (spoiler alert!) split personality in Fight Club. But the guy has characteristics that make him look like a bird. His narrow face shape, coupled with pointy features give him an avian appearance. Also, the fact that he tends to take more obscure, indie roles prevents him from being among the Hollywood heartthrobs.

With that being said, we've definitely had a crush on Ed Norton, bird-face and all! He's a rare kind of actor who kills it in comedy as well as he does in drama. Even in his voice work, like in his role in Seth Rogen's Sausage Party, is hilarious, showing that Norton doesn't take himself too seriously, which is sexy as hell.

14 Matt Smith

Maybe it's a requirement for Doctor Who, but a lot of the actors who have played the famous Doctor look just a little strange. Take Matt Smith, for example, who made Whovians swoon over his portrayal as the time-travelling dude with the Tardis: he's a strange-looking guy. If it weren't for his roles in cult hits like Doctor Who and Netflix's The Crown, we'd all be remarking on how strange-looking he is. The guy has no eyebrows! Like, none at all! But instead of giving him a weird caveman brow, his bare forehead lends a bit of otherworldly appeal to his face. Pair that with his intense stare, quick smile, and dreamy British accent, and you've got a recipe for a semi-ugly actor who inexplicably manages to make the ladies drool. Even though he has a slight figure and a neck that seems too long to support his head - plus the fact that he spends most of his career in tweed - we still can't seem to get enough of this sexy Doctor!

13 Norman Reedus

Before you come at us with pitchforks for saying that Norman Reedus is anything but drop-dead gorgeous, let's be more objective. Thanks to the role that made him famous, playing Darryl on The Walking Dead, we haven't seen Reedus clean for a long time. With his greasy hair, permanent scowl, and baby-haired goatee, Reedus looks like the kind of guy you'd find at a seedy biker bar on the outskirts of town.

And yet - here we are, imagining what it would be like to be swooped up in those little action-hero arms, crushed to his leather chest as he speeds away on his bike, and saving us from zombies. Objectively, Reedus is kind of an ugly dude, but it's the kind of ugly that you can't turn away from. The kind that seems to grow on you. Reedus started his career as a model, and while many beautiful people enter that industry, they also introduced some strange-looking ones for the sake of fashion. We'll let you be the judge of which one Reedus is.

12 Jesse Eisenberg

At the most, Jesse Eisenberg probably hopes that enough female viewers and fans consider him “cute”. He's kind of short, standing about 5'7, and is often the victim of bad hair, whether it's letting his natural curls go wild or choosing to straighten his hair for a role. Either way, it's not usually a good look. He also tends to speak in a monotone, no matter what the role. All of this makes him a fairly unappealing guy, even though he's not quite ugly in the traditional sense.

However, we're going to argue that not only is Eisenberg a cutie, but he's downright sexy! Remember him playing Mark Zuckerberg in the acclaimed film The Social Network? Zuckerberg isn't usually considered a heartthrob, but Eisenberg brought an intensity and pale-faced banter to the role that made us weirdly weak in the knees. All it takes is one long look in those puppy dog eyes and we're willing to code whatever he wants, whenever he wants!

11 Martin Freeman

It's fitting that Martin Freeman played Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit movies, because the guy has a weirdly elfin quality that makes him strangely adorable. Another actor who is considered more cute if his appearance is discussed at all, Freeman forced us all to see him as a competent, sexual, grown-a$$ man in his role in the Tina Fey film Whisky Tango Foxtrot. Working an Irish accent and buckets of charm, Freeman was able to win over Fey and the audience with his sheer magnetism and his appetite to danger, drinks, and doing the dirty. Sure, he's kind of a goofy-looking guy, but that's part of his appeal! He may not be traditionally handsome (and really, none of the guys on this list are), but he is absolutely sexy when it comes to taking on a role where he gets to take charge (and where he's not a tiny hobbit). Sign us up to go wherever he is!

10 Benedict Cumberbatch

We've mentioned Martin Freeman, who is his costar in Sherlock, but now we're taking on the weird-looking Benedict Cumberbatch. He has a legion of devoted fans who have dubbed themselves the “Cumberb!tches” (much to Cumberbatch's dismay), which should show you how many people find him undeniably sexy. But you also can't deny that the dude has a weird face! With a face that is narrow yet bulging, with watery blue eyes and prominent cheekbones, Cumberbatch has been described as looking like a foot, uncooked bread dough, the cartoon Inspector Gadget, and an alien. And yet we still think he's a hottie! Maybe it's the intensity he brings to his roles, maybe his appearance is helped along by his British accent, or maybe it's the fact that he appeals to geekdoms everywhere, but Cumberbatch has more than earned his Cumberb!tch following by showing that strange can be sexy time and time again! Is it getting hot in here, or is it just us?

9 Pablo Schreiber

Usually, it's the role of the actor in question that makes us see them in a whole new light, as much of this list has been dedicated to. We can without question say that that theory does not apply to actor Pablo Schreiber. In fact, you may not even recognize this hottie without his signature moustache. But if you did, then yep, you guessed it: he's the abusive, corrupt cop known by the nickname “Pornstache” in the Netflix hit Orange is the New Black!

Without the moustache, however, this younger brother of actor and certified sexy man Liev Schreiber is pretty adorable! He can even rock facial hair when it's not in the form of a seventies-style 'stache that is better suited to a movie that's been rated XXX! His hazel eyes and sweet smile make him seem like a completely different guy from his awful character, and we are totally happily here for it.

8 Alan Rickman

The late, great Alan Rickman had certainly earned plenty of female admirers in his time, even though he played plenty of bad guys alongside the good. Another Brit on this list (perhaps we're more forgiving of appearances when the accent is sexy?), Rickman was a lot of things during his career, but conventionally handsome was not one of them. That didn't stop the ladies from lining up to hear this actor's gravelly voice, however! Even when he was playing the troubled and mean Professor Snape in the Harry Potter franchise - complete with greasy black hair - women were totally okay with it, us included! There's something serious and dignified about Rickman that makes him a tough nut to crack, but the smile like the one seen here shows that there was a soft center to the guy that we all wanted to get to know. Traditionally handsome? Nope. Weirdly sexy and the star of some of our naughtiest dreams? You betcha!

7 Adam Driver

Blame it on the hard body he's been walking around with on the set of HBO's Girls that he started while working with the Marines, but Adam Driver has become an unwitting sex symbol. It's in stark contrast to the Hemsworths and Pitts of the world, as a guy with an unusual face whose dark intensity and unquestionable talent have made him the smart girl's heartthrob. His ears stick out on his head, his nose is large, and his hair is usually on the longer side and incredibly dark against his pale skin. He's not the traditional Hollywood hunk by any means, and could even be objectively ugly (especially without the facial hair, which balances his appearance out a great deal), but Driver is a certified hottie. Standing an impressive 6-foot-3, Driver is the kind of protective hot dude who would take care of you, like he does for Hannah in Girls. We know that there are plenty of women waiting in line to be the next one swept up into his chiseled arms.

6 Benicio Del Toro

When an actor is attractive in a way that isn't classical, or whose face is home to lots of lines, he's often referred to as being “ruggedly handsome”. That description is like he's a piece of leather that's been sitting in the sun for a while, or a guy who is permanently squinting his eyes. This definitely applies to Benicio Del Toro.

When Del Toro first entered the scene, critics and audiences couldn't decide if he was ugly or good-looking, or if he was leading man material or destined to always be the villain. We know he's strange to look at, but strange can be a good thing! (That's what this list is all about!) Sometimes the hair on his head and his face gets a little out of control, sometimes his skin looks more weathered than it should, and sometimes we can't tell if he's awake or asleep. But there's something dark, brooding, and sexy about this guy that we can't put our finger on (although we'd like him to put his finger - and more - on us!).

5 Simon Helberg

Who would've thought that the skinny guy with a mushroom haircut and dickies from The Big Bang Theory would actually belong on a list of actors who are weirdly hot? But here we are! Simon Helberg, who plays MIT-educated engineer Howard Wolowitz on the show, is strangely appealing when he's not stuck wearing brightly-colored skinny jeans and sweaters. Thanks to the addition of facial hair and a more grown-up wardrobe, Helberg makes us all take a second look at this hot guy who came out of one of the nerdiest shows on television. Sure, he's skinny and wiry, but Helberg in real life seems more sophisticated and serious than his sitcom counterpart, and we kind of dig it! Plus, he has an outspoken wife who isn't afraid to share her political beliefs on the red carpet. And if he can handle a firecracker like her, we wonder what else he can handle, if you catch our drift.

4 Joaquin Phoenix

Unlike his deceased brother, River Phoenix, Joaquin Phoenix wasn't considered a Hollywood hottie. His face is kind of strange, the scar above his lip is a little distracting, and he often chooses odd projects that he carries onto the red carpet, like the mockumentary I'm Still Here, which saw him “attempt” to have a rap career. He's a weird dude whose weirdness is reflected with his physical appearance. But he's still strangely sexy! Maybe it's the mystery that surrounds him, the choice to eschew the spotlight, or his dark looks with light eyes. Whatever it is, Phoenix is striking!

When he was on the scene in his early 20s, he was more traditionally handsome in a bad-boy sort of way (if you're still not convinced, check out To Die For with Nicole Kidman), and then he made our hearts and lady parts beat faster when he played Johnny Cash in Walk the Line. Now that he's aged a bit, Phoenix has become more of a wild man - and we can't help but want to tame him just a little bit.

3 Vincent Cassel

There's a scene in the movie Black Swan where Natalie Portman, as an uptight, perfectionistic ballerina, is being seduced by her choreographer, played by French actor Vincent Cassel, in an effort to figure out how to play the Black Swan. It's a total imbalance of power, but there is something incredibly sexy about the moment, and we haven't been able to get the Frenchman out of our minds ever since! He's kind of a creep, with his lewd remarks and smarmy attitude, but Cassel has this magnetic way about him that has us coming back for more. Perhaps there's some truth to French being the “language of love”!

With his sharp bone structure, long face, and skinny physique, Cassel isn't the traditional helping of Hollywood hunk. But the devilish glint in his eye and smirk on his face is appealing in the way of a man who will promise you all the bad things - and they'll be really, really good.

2 Adrien Brody

More lanky than skinny, with a hawkish nose that has made him the butt of many jokes, Oscar winner Adrien Brody is still an actor that, while conventionally unattractive, is still weirdly hot! With that beak on his face and limbs that seem too long for his body, Brody is definitely not the man for everyone. But he has long been the subject of conversations as to whether women consider him sexy or not. The fact that the question has been asked so often should indicate that there IS something appealing about Brody's lanky, sensual awkwardness, even if we can't quite figure out what makes it so. Plus, have you seen the guy shirtless? He may be a skinny man, but for more action-oriented films, the guy has gotten ripped! Conventional sexy can be boring and unexpected, but with Brody, you get to enjoy the strange, ugly sexy that makes him irresistible. Some may compare him to a praying mantis, but the sex appeal is real with Adrien Brody!

1 Steve Buscemi

This might shock pretty much everyone, since Steve Buscemi is regarded as one of the ugliest actors ever. But to those people we say, “Have you seen season one of Boardwalk Empire?”

While we know Buscemi to be awkward and ugly, with teeth that seem to want to escape his mouth and bulging, pale eyes, the character he plays in the HBO show is undeniably sexy. As the head honcho in Atlantic City during the Prohibition era, Buscemi oozes confidence and ease, bedding multiple women and raking in money. (It's no surprise that power is considered one of the greatest aphrodisiacs.) There is a scene in one episode where he pushes a woman against a wall to kiss her, after the two have been resisting their crackling chemistry, and it is the one time we have ever wanted to be kissed by Steve Buscemi. That says a lot about the power of an ugly-hot actor who is still able to make you go weak!