The 2023 Pajiba Ten: The 10 Brainiest, Most Lustful Celebrities on the Planet

By The Pajiba Staff | Celebrity | December 31, 2023 |

By The Pajiba Staff | Celebrity | December 31, 2023 |

What better way to exit 2023 and enter the new year than with Pajiba’s 17th Annual Pajiba Ten, a collection of our favorite celebrities from the last year. This year, we have one new entrant into the Hall of Fame — this year’s number one, in fact, who returns after a long hiatus — and seven International actors, and an equal mix of new members (5) and old (5). Here they are, and Happy New Year.

10. Zendaya — Making her second appearance — and first since 2021 — Zendaya kicks off the top ten this year. Zendaya effortlessly navigates between genres, excelling in maybe the only superhero franchise we still care about (Spider-Man), as well as her daring performance as a drug addict in Euphoria and as Chani in the Dune movies (had the second Dune film has been released as scheduled, Zendaya would probably hold a higher placement this year). Zendaya is also a trailblazer in the fashion world, and she’s truly amazing for her ability to stay true to herself: A social justice advocate and one-half of the most adorable couple in the industry. She’s also the youngest member of this year’s P10, which also says something about Hollywood’s inability to cultivate new movie stars. The fact that Zendaya has broken through is a big deal.

9. Seth Meyers — Unbelievably, this is Seth Meyers’ first year in the Pajiba 10, and only the third talk-show host to break in (Jon Stewart had one appearance in 2007, and John Oliver has two appearances). It’s fitting, however, because his “Closer Look” segments are probably the best thing in late-night, 10-minute deep dives that seem to combine elements of “Weekend Update,” Last Week Tonight, and The Daily Show. I’m not sure why he broke through this year, of all years, because it wasn’t an election year, and Meyers was out of work for nearly six months thanks to the strikes. Maybe it’s because he just turned 50 and has never looked as boyishly handsome; maybe it’s the platform he gives his writers; maybe it’s because he clearly seems like the best boss on TV; maybe it’s the way that “Corrections” has become a cult passion; maybe it was that Daydrinking with Dua Lipa segment; or maybe it’s just that not having him around for six months made us remember how much we appreciate the guy, who has become late night’s most beloved host.

8. Margot Robbie — Margot Robbie makes her debut this year, which is somewhat ironic given that she spent much of her career playing against the Barbie type (Birds of Prey, Suicide Squad, Babylon, I, Tonya). However, it was actually playing Barbie that gained her the kind of fame she probably deserved for some of her earlier work. Not only did Barbie subvert expectations for what filmmakers could do with traditional IP, but Robbie herself put the project together, snagging the rights and brilliantly bringing in Greta Gerwig to run it. In addition to being one of the most bankable stars on the planet right now, she has two Academy Award nominations, five BAFTA nominations, and six Golden Globe nominations. Did I mention she’s still only 33? Oh, and she’s also the first of seven international actors on this year’s P10.

7. Andrew Scott — As with Seth Meyers, it’s an interesting time for the magnetic Andrew Scott to make his first appearance in the P10 because the roles the Irish actor is best known for are as Moriarity in Sherlock Holmes, last seen in 2017, and Hot Priest in 2019’s Fleabag. Scott’s Internet boyfriend year had already passed, and yet here we are. This year’s big project was All of Us Strangers, which hasn’t moved outside of Los Angeles or New York City yet, but his performance has been met with raves, including from our own Jason Adams, who called his performance an “epic of intimacy with a staggering open wound.” The film has also allowed Scott to promote the movie, and it’s clear there’s an immense amount of chemistry between him and Paul Mescal, the latter of whom may break into the P10 in years to come.

6. Michelle Yeoh — Coming off of her Oscar-winning performance in last year’s Best Picture, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Yeoh also landed our top spot in 2022’s Pajiba 10 at the age of 60. She lands at number six this year without a Best Picture to bolster her. It was more of a mixed year for Yeoh, appearing in projects both good (American Born Chinese), bad (The Witcher: Blood Origin and The School of Good and Evil, and something in between (A Haunting in Venice, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts). In 1997, Yeoh was named one of People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. Twenty-six years later, she’s still considered one of the ten most Beautiful People in the World, according to Pajiba.com. Not bad for an actress who retired from acting for five years, way back in 1987.

5. Ncuti Gatwa — As Tori said of this year’s list, everyone on it has either been on Doctor Who or seems like someone who belongs on Doctor Who. It says something about the rizz of Ncuti Gatwa that he landed on this year’s P10 after only one full episode of Doctor Who, where he plays the 15th iteration of the character. Gatwa — previously best known for playing a memorable best friend character in Sex Education and an impressive Ken in Barbie where he completely won over Ryan Gosling — redefined the role in all the best ways. Gatwa is nothing like previous Doctors and somehow feels like a natural fit. It may be too early to say, but after only that one episode, Gatwa may have already established himself as the second favorite Doctor of the nuWho era.

4. Rose Byrne — Rose Byrne makes her first appearance on the Pajiba 10 this year, and again, it’s a funny time to make her debut. It was not after any of the projects that made her famous: FX’s Damages, Bridesmaids, Spy, or either of the Neighbors movies. It was after her well-received but not terribly popular comedy series Platonic, which reteamed her with Seth Rogen. I wouldn’t say that Platonic is necessarily Byrne’s best work, but it is her funniest. It’s to her credit that Seth Rogen is the second-funniest actor in a Seth Rogen series — indeed, there’s a scene where Byrne’s character is on ketamine that may be one of the funniest of 2023. Not for nothing, but Seth Rogen is also the second-hottest character in a Seth Rogen series.

3. Chris Pine — I hate to break it to y’all, but this is only Best Chris’s second time in the Pajiba 10 (his first since 2020), while the other Chrisses — Evans, Hemsworth, and yes, even Pratt — are all already in the Hall of Fame. I don’t know how to explain it, either. Pine returns to the P10 following his Dungeons and Dragons film, which deserved more recognition (and box office) than it received. Unfortunately, it had the terrible luck of premiering the week before the year’s second biggest film, The Super Mario Bros Movie, which means that once again, Chris Pratt got all the glory. Chris Pine will just have to settle for the title of All-Time Best Chris. We’ve been saying it for years.

2. Hannah Waddingham — The third and final season of Ted Lasso did not get the accolades of past seasons, but its Boss Ass Bitch returned to the list after debuting at number 10 in 2021. Like Ncuti, Waddingham is also a Sex Education alum (in a much smaller role). This year, she likely got some help from her Christmas special, where she again showed off her pipes. Thankfully, Rebecca Welton will not be the last significant role we’ll see her in. She’s lined up a role in Ryan Gosling’s Fall Guy for 2024, the next Mission Impossible movie for 2025, and she’s partnered with Octavia Spencer to make a spy series for Skydance.

1. David Tennant — The 10th and the 14th Doctor is not only our Pajiba 10 winner but the only member of the 2023 class to enter the Hall of Fame, although Tennant may have the honor of the longest time between first appearance and the Hall of Fame, premiering on this list during his first run as the Doctor in 2007. It’s fitting, then, that he is retired from the list on the year he’s (presumably) retired from Doctor Who. It was more than just Who responsible for this year’s placement: He also starred alongside Michael Sheen in the second season of Good Omens, and there were plenty of existing clips for Tennant and Sheen in Staged floating around Reels and TikTok to do all the promotion that series needed. We love that Tennant topped this year’s list, too, because in the nearly two decades of Pajiba’s history, Tennant feels like maybe the most quintessential Pajiba 10 member.