screen crush

Dev Patel in hunky ‘Monkey Man’ action-star mode is getting the internet all riled up

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Image Credit: Dev Patel in ‘Monkey Man,’ Universal Pictures

Dev Patel, the man that you are.

Though the 33-year-old British actor first burst onto the global scene when he was just a teen—in the seminal coming-of-age TV drama Skins, and the Oscar-winning crowd-pleaser Slumdog Millionaire—he has grown up in front of our eyes into one of our most crush-worthy stars.

Handsome, charming, witty, and quite the genre chameleon, Patel is one of those actors that is just universally adored, by gays and straights alike. But his latest role seems to have activated a whole new level of thirst…

The actor makes his directorial debut with the new action flick, Monkey Man, affectionately described as “John Wick in Mumbai,” which has received rave reviews since its premiere last month at SXSW.

Inspired by Indian folklore, Patel plays Kid, an “anonymous young man” who begins a years-long quest for vengeance after his mother is senselessly murdered by corrupt leaders. After years of training and bare-knuckling brawling (between this and the new Road House, are fight clubs having a moment again?), Kid finally takes matters into his own hands, and winds up becoming a symbol of hope for the poor and the powerless.

Now, don’t get us wrong: We’ve known Dev Patel was hot. Especially when sporting the longer locks and facial hair in roles like Lion and The Green Knight—have mercy! But in order to play an action hero for Monkey Man, Patel pushed himself to a new level of jacked, and the results? Well, we’ll let Gay Twitter do the talking™:

“Give him a role where he kisses men PLEASE,” one X user writes. To quote the great Mo’Nique: We would like to see it!

In fact, excitement for Patel’s action star glow-up in Monkey Man has people fan-casting him in all sorts of movies. The next James Bond perhaps? Here’s certainly got the debonair style and winking sense of humor, and this movie proves he can kick *ss, so what’re we waiting for? No disrespect to Aaron Taylor-Johnson—who they haven’t confirmed as the new 007 yet—but it’s time to give the people what they really want.

Related:

Is Aaron Taylor-Johnson the next James Bond? These LGBTQ+ actors could also nail the part

Speculation is running hot on who has been cast as the next James Bond.

And Patel himself has expressed interest in doing a rom-com, sharing he is a “romantic at heart.” Come on, Hollywood! We don’t care who he’s kissing—boys, girls, anyone—just let the man do what he wants!

As if he wasn’t already hot enough, Patel has also proven himself to be a total ally, one who is using his platform to champion trans/nonbinary inclusion and representation.

Minor Monkey Man spoilers ahead, but it turns out the sociopolitically-minded action movie makes space for a number of trans and nonconforming characters who rally behind Patel’s heroic Kid and even help him fight back against their oppressors.

Speaking with Variety‘s Marc Malkin at the movie’s LA premiere, Patel elaborated on why it was important for him to highlight the trans community in this story: “For me, this is an anthem for the underdogs, the voiceless and the marginalized,” the actor-director shared. “Together they wage this war for the good and the just, and for me, I really wanted to include the hijra community, the third gender in India.”

“We should be fighting for each other, not against each other,” Patel added. Amen to that!

Hijras—who include transgender, intersex, and nonbinary people who don’t identify with either the male or female gender—have a long history within Indian culture, with references in ancient Hindu holy texts. But their position in society has been decidedly more fraught since British colonization, and their inclusion within Monkey Man makes a powerful statement.

Per Variety, actor Vipin Sharma, who plays a trans woman named Alpha, recently attended a screening for the trans community, where the audience had an overwhelmingly positive response. “I was almost in tears when they said they loved it,” Sharma shared, “they loved the representation and they were very happy about it. That just touched my heart.”

Dev Patel literally fighting for the LGBTQ+ community? We could not possible love him more.

Monkey Man hits theaters everywhere on April 5.

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