So, what does Elba make of being this year's dream dude?

"My mum is going to be very proud," the Luther star said.

When Fallon asked for "a little smolder," Elba obliged and looked pensively into the distance. He also shared a "shy smile" and flexed his muscles while thanking People for the "amazing" honor.

Elba was in disbelief when he learned he would be featured this year. "I was like, 'Come on, no way. Really?' Looked in the mirror, I checked myself out. I was like, 'Yeah, you are kind of sexy today,'" he joked in the Nov. 19 issue. "But to be honest, it was just a nice feeling. It was a nice surprise—an ego boost for sure." As a kid, the 6-foot-3 actor said he was "very tall and skinny," meaning the ladies weren't exactly lining up to date him. "And my name was Idrissa Akuna Elba, OK? I got picked on a little bit," the Thor: Ragnarok star says. "But as soon as I could grow a mustache, I was the coolest kid on the block. Grew a mustache, had some muscles, bonkers."

Each one of People's "Sexiest Man Alive" honorees brought something different to the table, but in general, they all had the same effect on women. "People really think of 'sexy' beyond physical appearance—although that certainly helps," editorial director Jess Cagle told NBC 4 New York three years ago. "They like the idea of a guy who would be a good husband and father. We always feel out the readers to see what they want, and then we just argue about it!"

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