...but once upon a time they were more like this

Is this the most miserable Pirelli calendar ever?

IT has distanced itself from the scantily-clad models of the past. But now the Pirelli calendar seems to have banned any trace of joy.

For the 2020 edition features leading actresses in moody, Shakespeare themed poses. Emma Watson and Kristen Stewart are among the stars giving edgy, unsmiling interpretations of Romeo’s doomed lover Juliet.

Miss Watson, 29, seems almost nunlike in a white corseted dress, matching gloves and a dramatic wimple, while Miss Stewart, 29, exudes a goth like intensity. ‘It’s lovely to have the narrative behind the still image. I think that makes it a richer image,’ said Miss Watson.

The Looking For Juliet calendar was shot in Verona and Paris by photographer Paolo Roversi.

Pirelli began publishing a calendar in 1964 but it was discontinued ten years later. It was resurrected in the early 1980s and became famed for its scantily-clad and semi-nude models, who

included Kate Moss and Cindy Crawford. In the past decade the tyre firm has moved away from pin-up girls and included more arty images instead. Moody: Emma Watson as the doomed lover Juliet

Star-cross’d: Kristen Stewart

Pin-up: Cindy Crawford

Glamour: Kate Moss