For every Tom Cruise or Harrison Ford, there are thousands of handsome hunk wannabes who never achieve star status. So what does an actor need to become an “It” guy?

The Post asked three of Hollywood’s top producers — all of whom have worked with major film stars — to nail down that je ne sais quoi.

JOHN DAVIS

(Worked with Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington and Brendan Fraser.) “I don’t think good looks are that important. They put pretty people on soap operas. A movie star has a classic, rugged handsomeness, with looks that interact with his personality.

“Successful leading men are ones you just love watching — you’d love to have them in your living room. It’s something you can’t quite put your finger on, but their charisma translates to the screen.”

STEVE TISCH

(Worked with Cruise, Tom Hanks and Edward Norton.)

“I worked with Tom [Cruise] 18 years ago [on “Risky Business]. He won me over with that smile. Some people just have it, you know.

“If you compiled a list of people who’ve just got that magic, you’d find the shared component is that the audience feels very comfortable with them. There’s a real likability factor.”

JON LANDAU

(Worked with Leonardo DiCaprio, Bruce Willis and John Travolta.) “The most important thing is the actor’s sincerity in a performance. You look at someone like Leo DiCaprio or Mel Gibson or Harrison Ford and they always come across in such a believable fashion. They have an ability to take over the part, to be a chameleon.”