Photography by Ibra Ake

As a performer, Donald Glover is tireless. At 31, the multitalent has already contributed to two of the biggest comedies on TV (writing for 30 Rock and starring in Community); earned two Grammy nods as his hip-hop alter ego, Childish Gambino; and riled up countless crowds with his spirited, hip-nerd standup. But in Magic Mike XXL, Glover plays the calming smooth operator. Recruited partway through this flesh-filled road trip of a sequel, his character, Andre, is a sultry standout among his musclebound peers, serenading women after they’ve made it rain for Channing Tatum’s titular stripper.

“I was a little jealous,” Glover says. “I’m lithe, and everyone else is so big. When Joe Manganiello takes his shirt off, he looks like a Greek sculpture. I’d never even been waxed before. But on set, everybody was like, ‘Do what you do. That’s why we have you.’ ”

That thing involved putting drooling women on a pedestal and empowering them to be in control. It’s Andre who gets to say that a key part of these male entertainers’ jobs, specifically his, is to listen to their admirers and ask what they want. “When I was younger I always tried to do something as opposed to learn something,” Glover says. “But listening is sexy—to hear someone’s troubles and accommodate that. And who doesn’t want to release the stress of the day? It can be as cathartic as sexual release.”