Misty Copeland Reveals the Details of Her Latest Starring Role — A Pirelli Calendar Model

Misty Copeland has performed countless roles both on and off the stage. As a principal dancer for American Ballet Theatre — the first African-American woman to ever hold the title in the prestigious company’s 75-year history — she has transformed into Odette and Odile in Swan Lake, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and countless other characters. Nearly four years after debuting as Clara in ABT’s production of The Nutcracker, she helped translate the iconic ballet to the big screen in Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. When she’s not en pointe, Copeland serves as a face for both Under Armour and Estée Lauder, and she has even earned the title of New York Times bestselling author for her memoir, Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina. Now, Copeland is adding Pirelli calendar girl to her already impressive resume.

Alongside women like Gigi Hadid, Julia Garner, and Laetitia Casta, Copeland will star in the 46th edition of the legendary calendar that was once known for nude images of supermodels, actresses, and athletes. “Dreaming” is the theme for 2019, which is apropos given that the sultry-but-still-clothed photos of the strong and sculpted ballerina are pretty much guaranteed to inspire anyone to get moving in the New Year. Photographer Albert Watson cast Copeland as a dancer who yearns for the spotlight in Paris but moonlights as a stripper in Miami in order to make ends meet. “Trying to be successful is her driving force,” explains Watson. “Copeland’s character earns her living by dancing in a club, but at the same time, she has also put up a little stage in her garden where she practices dancing in order to become a star, sometimes with her boyfriend, played by Calvin Royal III.”

It’s a storyline Copeland hasn’t necessarily experienced firsthand, but it's one she can definitely identify with as a ballet prodigy who once shared a motel room floor with her five siblings before skyrocketing to superstardom. “No matter what you’ve experienced, it’s a beautiful story that I think anyone can relate to,” she tells Allure. “It’s always nice to be able to dive into a character, regardless if it’s a real person or a fantasy princess.”

As adaptable as Copeland is when getting into character, however, it’s who she is at her core and what she exemplifies that defines success for the multifaceted ballerina. “My position and where I’m at — it’s not about me. It’s about what I represent,” says Copeland. “That space should be for all of us. It’s not just for me to exist in and get these experiences. I try to bring my black and brown colleagues and mentees with me everywhere that I go.”

Here, Copeland weighs in on why she picked Royal to be her Pirelli prince, what she learned from the late, legendary Prince, and how playing a Disney princess is changing perceptions one movie ticket at a time.

The Pirelli Calendar was once renowned for images of nude or nearly-nude women. The past few years has seen a significant shift. How does this new approach reflect how women’s roles have changed in society?

“Especially as women, we are definitely in a different place in terms of having a voice and having power. I think it's amazing that we can go in a different direction with such an iconic calendar like Pirelli and allow it to grow within what's happening in the world today. To be able to use that platform to tell a story — an artistic story from the eye and mind of the photographer — it’s such a new and beautiful interpretation of where Pirelli is going. It's not just a model or a body being photographed; it’s about allowing different people to shine in their own ways. For me, telling a story through dance is what I do. For Albert to create this character that I'm portraying, it just made sense. It was a very organic and natural collaboration.”

How did you relate to the unique role of being both an aspiring ballerina and a stripper?

“Everyone has had ups and downs and struggles and strived to get to where they want to be, or dreams that they envision. That's the character that I was portraying. I've definitely gone through that in my own life while trying to get to American Ballet Theatre. Albert came up with the storyline for everything [in the calendar]. It was really quite clear what he imagined and what he saw. It just made sense and worked out. The one freedom he gave me was to choose [the role of] my boyfriend. He's a coworker of mine, Calvin Royal. He's stunning, and I thought that even our skin colors next to each other would be visually beautiful.”

You've partnered with a lot of people throughout your dance career, so what is it about Calvin that made him right for this special role?

“I've known Calvin for his entire professional life as a dancer. He danced with me at American Ballet Theatre, and he’s insanely talented. I feel like he brought something new to the stage. When black dancers are hired, they're often characterized in a certain way. They're the strong, muscular [type] that’s always going to play some sort of character role — they don't ever play the prince. Calvin has such a regal and elegant look. You can't typecast him. He is that elegant, amazing, princely figure. I just fell in love with him. I try and take him on gigs with me whenever I can or give him opportunities to be seen. I think it's so important for us to lift each other up, especially as black dancers. That's so much a part of what I'm trying to do."

Before you skyrocketed to stardom in the dance world, did you hold any jobs in addition to ballet?

“No, I never worked before. Seriously, it was kind of crazy. I was 13 when I started dancing and almost immediately, my path was to become a professional. I trained for four years, and then the day after I graduated high school, I moved to New York City and joined American Ballet Theatre. I don't really have any experience working other jobs. As a dancer, I tell stories through movement. I've become a lot of things that I've never been: I've been a firebird, I've been a swan, and I'm a stripper in this one. It's about being an actress and trying to find little things within these characters that you can connect with and that will allow you to make [the performance] even more real and genuine.”

You obviously experienced a lot of success as a dancer before the late Prince came calling in 2009, but would you consider his “Crimson and Clover” video your big break outside of the traditional ballet world?

“There have been so many things that have given me visibility or a platform that have gotten me to the next level. It's hard to pinpoint just one. I had already been promoted to soloist [before the Prince video], which was a big deal. Working with Prince was impactful for me as a person and as an artist. One of the reasons I wanted to work with him is because I was going to be seen by a different audience, and for me, bringing ballet to more people and diversifying it is my purpose. I definitely think he was a big part of that in the beginning.

"After signing with Under Armour, I also saw a huge shift in the appreciation that Americans had for dancers. I don't think we've ever truly been looked at as athletes because they don't get to see behind the scenes. They don't see all the hours we put in. I think it's important for people to see because it's important for us to be respected and to show that we are athletes. [Dance] is even more difficult because we have to make it look easy and become an actress or actor on top of all the physically demanding work.”

How did working with Prince impact you as an artist?

“In the ballet world, we're so focused on the technique and the work. You can have tunnel vision sometimes. Stepping outside of that world and having someone of his status and caliber and artistry believe in me and then allow me to have the freedom to stand next to him on the stage and improvise — that, to me, was a new power that I didn't know I could have or had inside of me. I felt like I really started to develop as an artist and open up more as a human being as well. To sit first row and watch one of the greatest artists of our time day in and day out was pretty amazing. Had I not learned from that period, I’d have to check my pulse.”

This year's Pirelli Calendar is centered around personal values in lieu of societal perceptions. What's most important to you as we head into 2019?

“Inner happiness. It's not about material things. It's about accomplishing something that you've worked so incredibly hard for and having the discipline, the patience, and the will [to get there]. All of those things are what success is. At the end of the day, when you're surrounded by people that you trust, that love you, that care about you, and you feel the same way about them, then you have a genuine, rich happiness. That's success.”

In addition to the Pirelli Calendar, you’re starring on the big screen for the first time in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Why is it so important to have a woman of color at the center of this iconic story?

“Looking back on my own life, I realize now how important it is to have representation. I felt like Mariah Carey was that for me as a young girl. I don’t think I was even really conscious of it, but seeing someone I could relate to and connect with that was thriving and successful [was essential]. I see that in my world right now in all of the young black and brown dancers or kids who come out to the Metropolitan Opera House because they can connect with me. They see a future for themselves in a space that they probably never imagined they’d take part. It's just as meaningful to see a black ballerina in a Disney film that will live on forever. Eventually, in time, people will watch that film and say, ‘Oh, that's the ballerina. That's what a ballerina looks like.’ Not: ‘That's a brown ballerina.’ I think that imagery is more powerful than we even realize.”

More on Misty Copeland:

• Misty Copeland Is Helping Estée Lauder Announce a Foundation Shade Expansion

• 5 Facts You Didn't Know About Misty Copeland

• Misty Copeland on Breaking Gender Barriers, Lip Care, and Contoured Robots

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