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A Modern Take on Shakespeare’s Juliet
Love has many faces, but just one name.
LOOKING FOR JULIET
Last May, legendary Italian photographer Paolo Roversi shot images in Verona, Italy, the setting of Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, and in the city of love, Paris.The project he was shooting for, titled “Looking for Juliet,” is the 2020 calendar for Pirelli, where the subjects, actresses and singers from different countries, were invited to present the kind of Juliet they would portray in an “ideal casting session.”
Juliet's Casting Session
The photographer used the classic love story as his inspiration to cast his perfect Juliet as if a movie director was in search of “his” Juliet. As he explained in a recent interview, “There’s no Romeo here, there are only Juliets who show up for a casting call, respond to questions, and reveal their own version of the character before re-enacting a passage from the tragedy, in costume,” he explained. “What was very moving was to see actresses of this level audition like it was their first casting. There’s something so innocent, naïve, and sincere about it that really corresponds to Juliet.”
The casting included American actors Yara Shahidi, Kristen Stewart, and Indya Moore, who keep company with singers—the Chinese artist Chris Lee and the Spanish artist Rosalia—as well as the British actresses Claire Foy, Mia Goth, and Emma Watson, and Roversi’s daughter, the Franco-Italian artist Stella Roversi.
Every interpreter brought a mood board spanning hair, clothes, and makeup, as well as personal notions about beauty. The clothes chosen were epic, the makeup, dramatic, and the hairstyles, unconventional. Each focused on their own idea of royalty. They all represent their versions of Juliet and the results are exquisite, unique and diverse.
CASTING CALL
3 American Actors
YARA SHAHIDI
KRISTEN STEWART
INDYA MOORE
2 Singers, 1 Artist
ROSALIA
CHRIS LEE
STELLA ROVERSI
3 British Actresses
CLAIRE FOY
EMMA WATSON
MIA GOTH
Did the photographer choose one Juliet, “his” Juliet, in the end? It seems by these beautiful backstage photos that Roversi played a diplomatic role and loved all his Juliets with the same ardor. He resumed it perfectly with these words: “I think every woman has her inner Juliet. In the end, the story is about love, and Juliet is a dream.”
If it came to a popular vote on social media, the new Juliet would surely be Emma Watson.
For our part, we would have to wait for Pirelli‘s Calendar to see for ourselves the final result and if we have a favorite among these creative interpretations of one of the most famous characters in classic literature history.
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