Nice Set of Wings: The Sexiest Angels to Grace TV and the Movies
By Rebecca Leib
Ever since Henry Travers faked drowning to save a skittish James Stewart’s soul in It’s a Wonderful Life, pop-culture has reimagined heavenly angels in every conceivable way. From tiny shoulder companions of conscience to cigarette smoking, gun-toting fighters, our perceptions of this staple biblical character has been continually evolving. One thing that has stayed constant: No messenger of G-d can be described as ugly.
In KoldCast’s engaging supernatural series Passenger, we follow an entirely different breed of angel in easy-on-the-eyes Michael. An archangel demoted from his heavenly post, he now roams the earth desperately trying to get back into G-d’s good graces.
Michael’s mission is to find and destroy demonically possessed Cherubim and Seraphim, another set of crooked angels. As he tries to polish his reputation upstairs by cleaning up this world, Michael ultimately proves there’s more to him than just a pretty face.
These divine deities have all done their own part to change the world as well, all the while oozing a specific brand of sex appeal. Let the clouds part and light shine through!
You are watching Episode 1 of Passenger
Watch Episode 2 and additional episodes of Passenger!
Matt Damon, Dogma
This Kevin Smith film follows two mischievous angels, Bartleby and Loki (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon), after they’re banished from Heaven because Loki gets drunk – with Bartleby’s encouragement – and resigns as the Angel of Death. They try to make their way back to heaven, meeting Chris Rock along the way and revealing G-d is actually Alanis Morissette. This one was a close call. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon both gave sexy a run for their money, but Matt later becomes human and decides to perform good deeds, which tipped the scale in his favor. Hot on the outside and inside to boot.
Emma Thompson, Angels in America
This miniseries from HBO was adapted from Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer prizewinning play and directed by Mike Nichols. Classic beauty Emma Thompson plays “America”, an angel who constantly crashes through an AIDS victim’s roof to convince him he’s a prophet. Emma plays a bit of an agitator in this miniseries, which contrasts nicely with her gentle, angelic loo. It’s a far cry from her turn as rough around the edges Nanny McPhee.
John Travolta, Michael
Before all this Scientology funny business hampered his image, John Travolta was a bona fide hunk, and Michael his last hurrah playing one. The film, directed by the late Nora Ephron and co-starring Andie MacDowell, was a 1996 love story about a cute, trench-coat wearing angel who was brought to earth to make a difference in the lives of a select few. With a great head of hair to boot, Travolta is charming and electrifying in his role, bringing us back, if only momentarily, to his Grease and Saturday Night Fever days.
Virginia Madsen, A Prairie Home Companion
This 2006 Robert Altman film, based on the popular radio program of the same name, featured a killer ensemble cast that showcased Madsen as another angel in a trench coat (I smell a recurring motif). She’s intent on comforting the performers of the live show and one of its stars, both of whom are heading towards the afterlife. Madsen proved to be not only beautiful but also delightfully mysterious in this comedy.
Paul Wesley, Fallen
Paul Wesley stars as the delectable Aaron Corbett, a good-natured high school student who discovers he’s a Nephilim, or a human-angel hybrid. Turns out Nephilim have great abs and love to show them off too. Even though he’s quite young in this TV series, Wesley’s potential was apparent. The actor’s a stunner and after Fallen, went on to star as an entirely different mythical creature in The Vampire Diaries.
Denzel Washington, The Preacher’s Wife
We all know Denzel is one of the sexiest men alive, an attribute with the power to wreck even the most stable of homes. Before Denzel takes Flight on November 2nd, Denzel flew into this Penny Marshall Christmas movie from heaven, where his good looks manage to stir up trouble even though he’s made of pure goodness. Denzel comes down to earth as Dudley, an angel tasked with helping a preacher recover his floundering Baptist church and marriage to Julia, played by the late, great, Whitney Houston. When Denzel and Whitney fall in love, doing the right thing is suddenly more complicated.
David Boreanaz, Angel
Even if you’ve never been the biggest Buffy The Vampire Slayer fan, after watching an episode or two of Angel, you’ll understand why David Boreanaz is such a popular television actor. Angel isn’t technically a winged, haloed servant of G-d, but a vampire whose human soul was restored by gypsies as a punishment for murdering one of their people. It may sound convoluted, but Boreanaz pulls it off… sometimes his shirt, too.
Roma Downey, Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel may have been a family-friendly CBS drama, but Roma Downey as Monica the helpful Irish angel added just the right amount of sexy to keep older gents watching. In the series, Downey would handle a different case each episode, which usually entailed glowing and offering help to a person at a moral crossroads. The show aired for almost ten years and was a CBS staple that made Roma a household name, way before she married reality TV powerhouse Mark Burnett.
Click to watch the Passenger sizzle reel!
Rebecca Leib is a comedy powerhouse living in Los Angeles, California. She performs regularly at iOWest, UCBLA and The Comedy Store. In addition to The Sixth Wall, her writing can be seen in Beautiful/Decay, Tvgasm, and Perezhilton. You can read her weekly column on her website at RebeccaLeib.com, or enjoy her web presence on twitter at @RebeccaLeib.
Nice Set of Wings: The Sexiest Angels to Grace TV and the Movies
By Rebecca Leib
Ever since Henry Travers faked drowning to save a skittish James Stewart’s soul in It’s a Wonderful Life, pop-culture has reimagined heavenly angels in every conceivable way. From tiny shoulder companions of conscience to cigarette smoking, gun-toting fighters, our perceptions of this staple biblical character has been continually evolving. One thing that has stayed constant: No messenger of G-d can be described as ugly.
In KoldCast’s engaging supernatural series Passenger, we follow an entirely different breed of angel in easy-on-the-eyes Michael. An archangel demoted from his heavenly post, he now roams the earth desperately trying to get back into G-d’s good graces.
Michael’s mission is to find and destroy demonically possessed Cherubim and Seraphim, another set of crooked angels. As he tries to polish his reputation upstairs by cleaning up this world, Michael ultimately proves there’s more to him than just a pretty face.
These divine deities have all done their own part to change the world as well, all the while oozing a specific brand of sex appeal. Let the clouds part and light shine through!
You are watching Episode 1 of Passenger
Watch Episode 2 and additional episodes of Passenger!
Matt Damon, Dogma
This Kevin Smith film follows two mischievous angels, Bartleby and Loki (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon), after they’re banished from Heaven because Loki gets drunk – with Bartleby’s encouragement – and resigns as the Angel of Death. They try to make their way back to heaven, meeting Chris Rock along the way and revealing G-d is actually Alanis Morissette. This one was a close call. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon both gave sexy a run for their money, but Matt later becomes human and decides to perform good deeds, which tipped the scale in his favor. Hot on the outside and inside to boot.
Emma Thompson, Angels in America
This miniseries from HBO was adapted from Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer prizewinning play and directed by Mike Nichols. Classic beauty Emma Thompson plays “America”, an angel who constantly crashes through an AIDS victim’s roof to convince him he’s a prophet. Emma plays a bit of an agitator in this miniseries, which contrasts nicely with her gentle, angelic loo. It’s a far cry from her turn as rough around the edges Nanny McPhee.
John Travolta, Michael
Before all this Scientology funny business hampered his image, John Travolta was a bona fide hunk, and Michael his last hurrah playing one. The film, directed by the late Nora Ephron and co-starring Andie MacDowell, was a 1996 love story about a cute, trench-coat wearing angel who was brought to earth to make a difference in the lives of a select few. With a great head of hair to boot, Travolta is charming and electrifying in his role, bringing us back, if only momentarily, to his Grease and Saturday Night Fever days.
Virginia Madsen, A Prairie Home Companion
This 2006 Robert Altman film, based on the popular radio program of the same name, featured a killer ensemble cast that showcased Madsen as another angel in a trench coat (I smell a recurring motif). She’s intent on comforting the performers of the live show and one of its stars, both of whom are heading towards the afterlife. Madsen proved to be not only beautiful but also delightfully mysterious in this comedy.
Paul Wesley, Fallen
Paul Wesley stars as the delectable Aaron Corbett, a good-natured high school student who discovers he’s a Nephilim, or a human-angel hybrid. Turns out Nephilim have great abs and love to show them off too. Even though he’s quite young in this TV series, Wesley’s potential was apparent. The actor’s a stunner and after Fallen, went on to star as an entirely different mythical creature in The Vampire Diaries.
Denzel Washington, The Preacher’s Wife
We all know Denzel is one of the sexiest men alive, an attribute with the power to wreck even the most stable of homes. Before Denzel takes Flight on November 2nd, Denzel flew into this Penny Marshall Christmas movie from heaven, where his good looks manage to stir up trouble even though he’s made of pure goodness. Denzel comes down to earth as Dudley, an angel tasked with helping a preacher recover his floundering Baptist church and marriage to Julia, played by the late, great, Whitney Houston. When Denzel and Whitney fall in love, doing the right thing is suddenly more complicated.
David Boreanaz, Angel
Even if you’ve never been the biggest Buffy The Vampire Slayer fan, after watching an episode or two of Angel, you’ll understand why David Boreanaz is such a popular television actor. Angel isn’t technically a winged, haloed servant of G-d, but a vampire whose human soul was restored by gypsies as a punishment for murdering one of their people. It may sound convoluted, but Boreanaz pulls it off… sometimes his shirt, too.
Roma Downey, Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel may have been a family-friendly CBS drama, but Roma Downey as Monica the helpful Irish angel added just the right amount of sexy to keep older gents watching. In the series, Downey would handle a different case each episode, which usually entailed glowing and offering help to a person at a moral crossroads. The show aired for almost ten years and was a CBS staple that made Roma a household name, way before she married reality TV powerhouse Mark Burnett.
Click to watch the Passenger sizzle reel!
Rebecca Leib is a comedy powerhouse living in Los Angeles, California. She performs regularly at iOWest, UCBLA and The Comedy Store. In addition to The Sixth Wall, her writing can be seen in Beautiful/Decay, Tvgasm, and Perezhilton. You can read her weekly column on her website at RebeccaLeib.com, or enjoy her web presence on twitter at @RebeccaLeib.