Top 10 Male Heartthrobs Who Are Secretly Nerds

#10: Donald Glover

Nowadays, Glover is known as an actor, a filmmaker, a musician, and a comedian. All very cool, not usually nerdy things. But if you’re an internet veteran, you might remember 2010’s viral campaign, “#Donald4Spiderman.” For those unsure what this was about, it involved calls for Glover, including by the actor himself, to portray the web slinger. His superhero passion worked as, not only did he voice Miles Morales in the cartoon “Ultimate Spider-Man,” he also appeared in 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” Interestingly, the campaign and Glover pointing out that a part of his love for Spider-Man included that anyone could be under the suit reportedly inspired the creation of Miles in Marvel comics.

#9: Justin Bieber

While his music career was taking off in 2010 and his posters were being put up in teenagers’ rooms, the same year, Bieber let slip a nerdy skill he has while on a Spanish TV show. He’s able to complete a Rubik’s Cube in two minutes, a talent he’s only become better at over the years. Six years later, in 2016, another passion of his came to light. With Pokémon Go sweeping the world, Bieber was recorded hunting for Pocket Monsters in New York City’s Central Park, being completely ignored by other players. This isn’t the only Pokémon divulgence he has. In 2019, the Canadian singer showed off his card collection on Instagram, including a frame containing all of the original ones.

#8: Post Malone

Pokémon seems to be a common love for musicians. After all, in 2021, Malone performed “Only Wanna Be with You” for a virtual celebration of 25 years of the franchise, which was essentially a love letter to Pokémon. On top of funding an esports team, Malone is famously a big fan of the card game, Magic: The Gathering. So much so that not once, but twice, he collaborated with the company to release special sets featuring himself. Malone’s love of Magic also had him smashing records by purchasing expensive cards…twice! Firstly, he splashed out $800,000 for a Black Lotus card signed by the artist. Then, in 2023, the rapper reportedly spent $2 million on The One Ring card!

#7: Anthony Mackie

Considering he plays a superhero in the MCU, most of us wouldn’t be surprised if Mackie only saw it as a job. But nope, his passion for Marvel seemingly goes much deeper. During interviews, not only has he name-dropped more obscure characters, but he also knows Captain America lore very well. Away from Marvel, Mackie’s other nerdy passion is “Star Wars.” While appearing virtually on “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” Mackie did a show-and-tell of his Boba Fett collection. He was delighted to show off his bounty hunter’s helmet, which was signed by the original actor, Jeremy “Jimmy” Bulloch. Yet the actor wasn’t done. He ran off and returned with his motorcycle helmet, which was designed after Boba’s.

#6: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Usually, when celebrities turn up to a film premiere, they do so in a designer outfit. But not Gordon-Levitt. Instead, he had to showcase his geeky love. For the premiere of 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” he arrived on the red carpet in an adorable homemade Yoda costume, complete with green face paint! Gordon-Levitt is also a big fan of Magic: The Gathering, as he proudly showed off his card collection that he'd had for years to the YouTube channel Geek & Sundry in 2018. Further proving his nerd cred, in 2020, during his appearance on “Hot Ones,” “The Dark Knight Rises” actor spoke about his favorite character he’d created when playing the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.

#5: Leonardo DiCaprio

Suave and sophisticated are just two of the adjectives that come to mind when thinking about DiCaprio. Despite that reputation, though, he’s seemingly a massive nerd behind his cool factor. After all, he is the son of George DiCaprio, who was a comic book creator. DiCaprio has a big passion for “Star Wars.” So much so that he has forcibly made Jonah Hill watch “The Mandalorian.” Reportedly, he once had a vintage toy collection featuring many from the sci-fi franchise. However, DiCaprio sold a lot of it in 2006 to fund his environmental foundation. Yet according to other sources, he might still be collecting today under a disguise. So, make sure to keep an eye out the next time you’re at a toy market.

#4: Henry Cavill

For most actors, seeing a call coming in about a role that could launch their career would cause them to immediately answer their phone. But for Cavill, that wasn’t the case when Zack Snyder rang him to ask him to be Superman in 2013’s “Man of Steel.” The British beefcake was deep into a game of “World of Warcraft,” which can’t be paused, and made his priorities clear. Thankfully, it all worked out. A deep love of gaming has often helped Cavill go viral with fellow nerds. For example, during 2020, he published videos on social media as he built his gaming PC. Another geeky passion of his is the miniature game Warhammer 40,000, which he loves painting the figurines.

#3: Joe Manganiello

You know you’ve made it when you can work for a franchise you love. For “Magic Mike”’s magnificent Manganiello, that’s Dungeons & Dragons. The actor has worked with the firm as a writer and ambassador, even getting his character, Arkhan the Cruel, put into D&D’s lore. Not only does Manganiello appear on many nerdy web series to demonstrate his passion for the role-playing game, such as “Critical Role,” but the actor was also hired to develop several projects for Wizards of the Coast, including a documentary. With his work shelved, it seems like Manganiello’s professional relationship with D&D is over. But hopefully this Dungeon Master’s love of the game is undiminished.

#2: Michael B. Jordan

An actor in the MCU and a boxing franchise, Jordan is one of the most desirable men in Hollywood. And behind the good looks is a massive anime fan. In fact, when he took the directing helm for 2023’s “Creed III,” Jordan was vocal about anime inspiring sequences he created for the film. For years, on social media, he’s made his anime obsession well-known as he defended his passion project from gatekeepers of the artistic genre. Attracted by the action and character development, Jordan has also admitted that anime has made him cry. If you wanted to follow in the “Sinners” star’s anime footsteps, in 2023, he recommended starting with “One Piece,” “Dragon Ball Z,” “Naruto,” “Bleach,” and “Hunter x Hunter.”

#1: Timothée Chalamet

Considering it was Heath Ledger’s The Joker in 2008’s “The Dark Knight” that inspired Chalamet to take up acting, the geeky signs were there. In 2021, we discovered how deep it went during an interview with Nate Hill. Chalamet admitted to operating the YouTube channel “ModdedController360,” where he modified Xbox 360 controllers and promoted gaming. He’s also a major sports enthusiast, which isn’t typically seen as a nerdy hobby. Still, when you have the extensive knowledge that Chalamet has, it quickly becomes that. In 2024, he appeared on “College GameDay,” where he had phenomenal passion for college football. During Cody Rohodes’s podcast in 2025, Chalamet detailed his love of pro-wrestling, which included a tale of enacting Batista’s entrance in front of him, which is incredibly endearing and nerdy.

Are there any heartthrobs who have secret nerdy passions that we missed? Let us know below!