As 2025 draws to a close, The Guardian has unveiled a compelling collection of its most striking photographic portraits from the past twelve months. The gallery, published on Friday 26 December 2025, captures a diverse array of subjects, from global superstars baring their souls to fearless campaigners and real-life heroes who defined the news cycle.
Hollywood Icons and Musical Legends
The selection showcases several high-profile figures who opened up in revealing interviews. Jamie Lee Curtis, photographed by Mary Rozzi, used her platform to rail against Hollywood's ageism and the 'cosmeceutical industrial complex', in a piece that won a British Society of Magazine Editors' award.
Meanwhile, Nick Cave featured twice, notably alongside Matt Smith in a portrait by Linda Nylind discussing the TV adaptation of his novel 'The Death of Bunny Munro'. Cave quipped that 'Matt Smith being hot is quite problematic' for the story's themes.
Other A-listers included Oscar-winner Rami Malek, who spoke about racism and feeling like an outsider, and Adrien Brody, who reflected on his second Academy Award win for 'The Brutalist'.
Voices of Change and Personal Journeys
Beyond entertainment, the portraits highlighted powerful advocates and personal stories. Esther Ghey, mother of murdered transgender teenager Brianna, displayed profound forgiveness in an interview about online radicalisation and grief.
Holocaust survivor Mindu Hornick, 96, shared her harrowing story of avoiding the gas chambers at Auschwitz. The collection also featured climate-focused artist Bryony Kimmings and Pip Fallow, who founded the Proppa Jobs campaign to revive industry in the north-east after leaving school illiterate the day his local mine closed.
Cultural Figures and Intimate Revelations
The gallery celebrated a wide spectrum of cultural influence. Irish pop star CMAT (Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson) was characteristically forthright on trans rights and capitalism, while author Ocean Vuong discussed Buddhism, Björk, and his working-class roots.
Intimate revelations came from Penn Badgley, who spoke about body dysmorphia and playing a serial killer, and comedian Leslie Jones, who addressed the abuse she faced after the Ghostbusters reboot. The year's visual stories also included the pearly kings and queens of London in their 150th year, and a poignant project on assisted dying featuring Maddie Cowey.
From the Edinburgh Fringe's Miss Frisky to boxer Fabio Wardley and comedian-turned-potter Johnny Vegas, the portraits collectively form a multifaceted visual diary of 2025, proving that behind every headline and profile lies a deeply human story, expertly framed by Guardian photographers.
