Hugh Jackman: The Sexiest Man Alive

He's a triple threat: a star who can sing, dance and wield a weapon.

At 6 ft. 2 in., all scruff and biceps, Hugh Jackman looms large in the epic Australia, which he says kept him "dirty 95 percent of the time" and left people stammering, "Oh ... my ... God," according to costar Nicole Kidman, who adds, "Women's jaws drop when Hugh walks into a room."

Jackman's wife of 12 years, Deborra-Lee Furness, calls his perfect form "the Body of Doom – but I like what's inside": a romantic who sings ballads at home and makes pancakes for Oscar, 8, and Ava, 3. A hard body with a soft center – 2008's Sexiest Man Alive sat down with PEOPLE's Elizabeth Leonard and Julie Jordan to reveal most of his secrets.

You turned 40 Oct. 12 and now you're the Sexiest Man Alive. What was your wife's response?
God bless her, she said, "I could've told them that years ago!" And then she said, "Obviously, Brad wasn't available this year." And I said, "That was a joke, right?"

Your marriage is a success story.
In my early 20s, I didn't have a regular girlfriend. I was single and really happy about it. And then when I was 26, I met Deb on [the Australian TV show] Correlli. She was my leading lady. It was just undeniable. I started planning to propose to her at about three months. We are happy. Deb and my kids have been the best things that have ever happened to me, without a doubt.

How do you keep the passion alive?
It's easy with my wife. She loves the idea of me coming home in costume because it makes her feel like she's having an affair in a good way. When we met, I was cast as a prisoner with tattoos and she'd say, "Don't take your tattoos off tonight!" and I'd be like, "All right!" But what works best with her is the stockbroker look. She also says, "Do your sexy dance for me," [an '80s-like, hip-swiveling number] and that works for me.

Are you self-conscious about any body part?
When I was younger, I had chicken legs. My nickname was Sticks.

What part do people like best?
My smile. Lately my pecs. I'm being honest!

（What can I say? All too true！~）

What do you wear to bed?
I didn't wear anything until my daughter was born and we had a night nanny because I was working. I walked out stark naked, and she was reading a book. Now I like boxer briefs.

How the Sexiness Began ...

FIRST GIRLFRIEND
"Martine Craswell, in kindergarten. My dad said, 'Oh, I always knew you were romantic because you were running in a race and Martine fell over and you stopped and went back and picked her up.' Chivalry was there."

FIRST KISS
"With Sarah Dowsett when I was 9. I was going from a coed school to a boys' school and I thought, 'If I don't kiss a girl before I go to this school, I won't get to kiss a girl.' And my friend goes, 'Sarah Dowsett kisses. I kissed her once.' So I said to Sarah, 'I want you to know that I love you.' And she said, 'I love you too.' And I said, 'Do you want to go down to the bush and kiss?' She said yes. It was just [he purses his lips]. I remember thinking, 'What is this all about?' Then, when I had my first tongue kiss, I thought, 'What the hell is this?' "

FIRST LEARNED ABOUT SEX
"When I was 9, Scott Whitehead, who lived down the road, had an older brother who had Penthouse magazines. I was kind of shocked."

为了证实自己的时效性，[People]评选Sexiest的第二是冷酷007 Daniel Craig, 第三是新晋大热剧集Mad Men男主角Jon Hamm,第四是少女偶像Zac Efron,第七是Gossip Girl里的坏小子"Chuck"Ed Westwick,第八是北京奥运八金水怪菲利普斯，第十是来自中国的郎朗（这个很意外），第十三是22岁的Robert Pattinson，HP系列里的魁地奇队长，吸血鬼新片[暮色]的男主角。

新人的天下哪…看看就好，自己杯茶总是放在自己心里的。