‘What Men Want’ Delivers The Kellan Lutz Thirst Trap We’ve Been Drooling For

It’s my own fault. I wasn’t looking hard enough for Kellan Lutz lately, as a quick glance at his IMDB page confirms he’s been working steadily since most of us started lusting over him nearly a decade ago in the Twilight films. Since then, he’s also starred in The Legend of Hercules, The Expendables 3, Love, Wedding, Marriage opposite Mandy Moore (which I enjoyed because of course I did) and the Lisa Kudrow cringe comedy The Comeback. But if you made the same mistake I did and haven’t seen him on screen for a moment, that’s all about to change in What Men Want.

The film is in theaters now and stars Taraji P. Henson as the super successful Ali, who is plagued/blessed with the ability to read men’s thoughts and uses it to her advantage in both her personal and professional life. As she scores deals at the office and lets herself fall for a super hunky gent, she also uses her new power to find out what her gorgeous neighbor is thinking during their silent elevator rides. Enter Kellan Lutz.

His character’s name in the film is, no joke, Captain Fucktastic, and as director Adam Shankman told Decider, he was thrilled to have Lutz fill this rather sexy role. “Kellan and I have been peripheral Hollywood event friends for many years,” Shankman explained, noting that the two would also find themselves, “running into each other, as one does, at the gym.”

And when it came time to cast Mr. Captain Fucktastic himself, Shankman recalled, “I just thought, I wonder if Kellan would ever do this?” When producers asked him who he wanted in the part, Shankman told them why it should be Lutz, explaining that, “He would be really fun because I think he will have enough recognition that just seeing him will make people giggle.” Oh, and after actually seeing him in the role, there will be many, many more laughs to come.

But Shankman was right in a lot of ways. Lutz is not only recognizable in the roll, but a fun casting and the perfect, attractive man to be there. He’s a great on-screen match for Henson in his brief yet memorable scenes, and taking on this role proves that he can be a stud and have a sense of humor about himself at the same time, though not all actors can claim the same. I personally love that he went the rom-com route for this one after certainly making his mark in the action world. Lutz is too capable to be labeled “that guy from Twilight” and after the laughs and exposure this movie with grant him, that will be truer than ever.

Shankman dropped some more unbelievable news during our chat: somehow, Lutz is even hotter right at this very moment. “He looks SO good now. He looks amazing, and better now than he did in the movie because he’s getting ready for something apparently where he’s gotta be more god-like than ever.” But perhaps it’s something outside of the gym routine that is really making this guy glow.

“He’s also really happy being married,” Shankman said (Lutz married Brittany Gonzales in 2017). “He’s very happily married, and I can tell that has brought new light into his life.”

That is so wonderful because his role in this movie will also bring new light into many lives, even if it is in a much, much different way.

Where to stream Love, Wedding, Marriage