VERONA, Italy — Actresses Claire Foy, Emma Watson and Yara Shahidi are the faces of Juliet in the 2020 Pirelli calendar, giving a nod to Shakespeare for the just-released 47th edition.

Photographed by Italian photographer Paolo Roversi, the "Looking for Juliet" calendar published by the Italian tire manufacturer also features Mia Goth, Kirsten Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg and others, including Roversi's daughter Stella.

Verona, the setting of "Rome and Juliet", is the backdrop for Roversi's images in color and black and white, showing the actresses interpreting Juliet in period costume. Other images were shot in Paris, with the models posing as themselves in modern dress.

Goldberg, 64, said she was thrilled to take part.

"When they said they wanted me to be in the calendar I didn't care what I was going to be," Goldberg said at a red-carpet event in Verona on Tuesday.

"If they said we want you to be on the hood of a car, I would have done it," she said. "You know, it's iconic!"

Published since 1964, the limited-edition Pirelli calendar is considered a feather in the cap for both photographers and their models.

For years, the calendar was known for its nudity and highly sexualized images of women. More recently, the calendar has featured fully clothed women and has striven for more diversity. — AFP