John Boyega Hopes His Pirelli Calendar Underwear Shoot Redefines What a 'Leading Man' Looks Like (Exclusive)

John Boyega walked onto his first Pirelli Calendar photo shoot with an open mind. 

In the 51st edition of the iconic fashion project, the Star Wars actor, 32, poses in his underwear, his inked muscles exposed, in a studio setting for his black-and-white portrait and at the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park in Miami for his sexy outdoors snapshot.

What did he do to prepare for his debut?

“Nothing,” he tells PEOPLE. 

“I wanted to do it that way. I was actually at the beginning of my weight-loss journey. My body's quite changed, even from when we've done the shoot, but I wanted there to be a shoot that captured where I was and the imperfections of that,” he explains of his decision. 

He also wanted to be as authentic as possible in the images captured, some of which involved him continuously splashed with water while modeling half-naked in the ocean. “The team was just very supportive, fully creative. It was something I'd definitely do again.” 

The 2025 Pirelli Calendar, titled “Refresh and Reveal,” stars Boyega in addition to Padma Lakshmi, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hunter Schafer, Vincent Cassel, Jung Ho-yeon and Simone Ashley. Photographed by Ethan James Green, the latest installment explores beauty and nudity, a popular theme in past spreads ("The Cal" has a history dating back to 1964).

“Doing sexy pictures was something that just immediately felt right. When I think of Pirelli, I think of sexy, sensual pictures….it felt very obvious,” Green, who not only participated behind the cameras, but also modeled for the spread, tells PEOPLE. 

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He and stylist Tonne Goodman were both on the "same page" when it came to exploring the skin-forward concept.

“It has nothing to do with nudity, really, It has to do with beauty and people being able to express themselves however they want, whether it's without clothes or with clothes,” Goodman explains to PEOPLE. "Pirelli has had a reputation forever for being this sexy, for being a little outrageous. This is outrageous in the best way because it is so truthful."

This is what intrigued Boyega the most. “They were like, ‘Well, this is actually about celebrating beauty and celebrating beauty in different ways.' ” 

As a male actor, he hopes his photos can redefine what it looks like to fulfill that role. “There is an image attached to what a leading man is, and I've always disagreed with the images that come out,” he says. "I've always wanted there to be an expansion, and this kind of represents that message and represents my views that beauty can be found in different ways."