Former Sexiest Man Alive Jude Law Offers Advice for Next Title Holder: 'Be Yourself' (Exclusive)

PEOPLE bestowed the honor on the star of 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' in 2004

Jude Law knows a thing or two about being the Sexiest Man Alive. After all, he held the coveted title 20 years ago.

Now, as PEOPLE gets ready to crown a new honoree (Patrick Dempsey is the reigning SMA), Law, 51, offers a bit of advice for the yet-to-be-named man.

“Be yourself, guys. Be yourself,” he says before quipping, “Actually, my advice is ask George Clooney. Wasn't he in it like six times?” (For the record, Clooney was the champ twice: in 1997 and 2006.)

Law’s own time as Sexiest Man Alive came as he established himself as a true star, headlining films like 2004’s Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, whose producer Jon Avnet gushed, "Jude's uniqueness is that he has the talent of a character actor and the looks of a leading man.”

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Law’s past costars also paid tribute to him in the cover story: “He’s the most beautiful man who ever walked the earth — an absolutely perfect oil painting," Naomi Watts, his costar in the comedy I Heart Huckabees, said at the time.

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Added Rachel Weisz, who acted with Law in Enemy at the Gates, "He has the most beautiful eyes you've ever seen.”

The compliments are nice, but the Oscar-nominated actor, at this stage of his career, just wants to focus on doing more good work.

"Honestly, I think my bucket list is to keep doing work into my 80s and 90s and keep surprising myself,” Law, who stars in the new crime drama The Order, tells PEOPLE. “I always remember seeing Peter Greenaway's film Prospero's Books with John Gielgud and he was in his mid-80s doing this incredible, bizarre performance and this nudity.”

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“And I just always remember being blown away by the evidence that this guy, this knight of the theater, this guy at the end of his career ... he's still challenging himself and having fun. I just always thought that was so aspirational.”

PEOPLE's next Sexiest Man Alive will be revealed on Tuesday, Nov. 12