The study revealed the Top 20 celebrities and world leaders best suited to lead Earth if not-so-friendly E.T.s come knocking, which also tracked belief in life on other planets. After Arnold Schwarzenegger, Will Smith came in close second (he did show his alien ass-kicking chops in both Men in Black and Independence Day, after all). Interestingly, third place was British national treasure and natural historian Sir David Attenborough. But the desire for a calming presence, and great narration of the invasion, is short-lived because fourth and fifth place was Bruce Willis (Armageddon) and Tom Cruise (War of the Worlds).
Indeed, Cruise's inclusion makes sense, not just because of his on-screen prowess, but his belief in Scientology, rooted in the idea that humans are connected to ancient extraterrestrial civilizations. Harrison Ford (Star Wars) and Sigourney Weaver (Alien) were next up, and The X-Files co-star Gillian Anderson coming in at Number 9 — right after former president Donald Trump.
Trump was the first politician to make the list at No. 8, with Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson further down, and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris rounding out the list (full list below).
The rankings, and rankings of politicians, would likely change for a U.S. audience — especially as the new president is in office longer — but a spokesman for the network noted a concern about the lack of real-world leaders in the list:
"Arnold Schwarzenegger is a strong choice for dealing with an alien invasion, bearing in mind he’s not only a screen action hero but was also Governor of California ... although it's worrying to see that so many celebrities with fictional alien experience are considered by many to be better candidates than our current crop of world leaders."- 11 Percent (one in 10) of Brits: Believe they have seen a UFO.
- 56 Percent: Believe intelligent life exists beyond Earth.
- 26 Percent: Think aliens exist in our solar system.
- 33 Percent: Aliens could already on Earth, living among us.
- 30 Percent (about a third): Aliens would visit the planet for scientific research.
- 52 Percent: Would be frightened at the possibility of an alien invasion.
- 31 Percent: It is necessary to establish a dedicated government task force to address potential extraterrestrial threats.
- 27 Percent: Humans need a battle plan now for invasions.
- 26 Percent: Would stock up on supplies if aliens landed.
- 20 Percent (one in five people): They would hide out at home until things settled.
- 20 Percent: Trust the experts to deal with the threat.
- 11 Percent: Would try to reason with the aliens to secure peace.
- 15 Percent: Earth will be dominated by aliens within the next 20 years.
I want to thank the people for putting their faith in me. I am ready to serve. https://t.co/RiBtNmWtVi
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) March 18, 2021
Check out the entire list of Britain's preferred leaders against aliens, and let us know who you think should have made the cut.