Adrien Brody Fashion Forward for Pirelli Calendar

Adrien Brody has long had a flair for fashion, but don't mistake the beard the actor is currently sporting as a bow to trend. It's for his latest movie role as Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in the upcoming film "Emperor."

The Oscar-winning actor told a black tie gala to celebrate the 2015 Pirelli calendar that he's "Charles V by day, Adrien Brody by night."

"Please excuse the beard," he added, perhaps unaware that beards have caught on in Europe's fashion capitals.

The Pirelli calendar over the last half-century has become a highly prized cult object that counts among its recipients the Vatican, Buckingham Palace and the King of Morocco. The 2015 edition by reclusive fashion photographer Steven Meisel recreates stereotypical pinup images with top models scantily clad in latex.