The power of the internet somehow managed to place two German soap stars on AferEltons Hot 100 list. It shouldn't amuse me quite this much!


17. Thore Schölermann
Rank last year: N/A


If there was a more unlikely person to make it into the top twenty of the Hot 100, we’d be hard pressed to come up with someone other than this German actor. Don’t’ get us wrong. We don’t say that to disparage Schölermann's appeal. He’s obviously very handsome and has charisma to spare, but he’s also a relatively minor supporting actor on Verbotene Liebe (Forbidden Love), a night time German soap opera not exactly well-known to the rest of the world.

Nonetheless, the first time we wrote about the show and Schölermann's role as Christian, a bisexual boxer who falls in love Olli (played by Jo Weil who came in at #30), the reaction was instantaneous. Over 5,000 viewers watched that first clip and 50 comments followed, almost all lauding this German soap and its stars willing to go where American shows weren’t – that being steamy kisses and bedroom scenes. Such is the power of the internet and the extent to which gay viewers hunger for good gay representation.

The role of Christian is the 23-year-old actor’s very first. But with his boyish looks, sexy smile and overflowing charisma, we’ve little doubt audiences will be saying “Ja! Ja!” to seeing more of Thore.