Willem Dafoe’s Strangest & Most Iconic Poses

Film & pop culture analyst Daniel Merrifield breaks down the best Willem Dafoe pose

Co-authored by Daniel Merrifield and Annabelle Reyes

Last Updated: March 9, 2026 Fact Checked

You might be familiar with actor Willem Dafoe from movies like Poor Things, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Spider-Man, but did you know he’s also famous for striking some strange (and totally incredible) poses during photoshoots? Luckily, we’ve curated this list of the weird and wonderful poses of Willem Dafoe, with insights from a film & pop culture analyst. Keep reading for the ultimate pose guide, whether you want to try one out yourself for a silly pic or you’re just looking for a chuckle!

Top Willem Dafoe Poses

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A collage of some of Willem Defoe’s strangest and most iconic poses from photoshoots.

Film & pop culture analyst Daniel Merrifield says the best Willem Dafoe pose is one where he's doing the splits and leaning forward. Other well-known poses include one where he’s crouching on top of a stool like a gargoyle and one where he’s lying on the ground in the fetal position pretending to be asleep.

1

Wide Stance Leaning Forward Pose

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For this pose, Dafoe stands with his feet super far apart and leans forward completely, with his torso parallel to the ground. His head is facing the camera head-on, and his arms are tucked into his sides (so it almost looks like he doesn’t have arms at all). Merrifield says that is the best photo ever, full stop, and there’s no better pose.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Daniel Merrifield
Film and Pop Culture Analyst

Expert Interview} It’s also pretty strange and unnatural-looking, so it’s no wonder that it’s totally captivated people! The original photograph was taken by photographer Dusan Reljin, and it appeared in the August 2012 issue of Interview Russia.^{[2]
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- How to do it: First, stand with your feet very far apart, so you’re in a super exaggerated wide stance. Tuck your arms in straight to your sides, and lean forward with your back flat until your torso is parallel with the ground. Look up to the camera, and don’t forget to make a fierce expression with your face!
- This particular pose has also gone viral on TikTok several times. For example, check out this video by @dduany and this video by @harrison.tablada!
Meet the wikiHow Expert

Daniel Merrifield is a film & pop culture analyst.

2

Middle Splits Pose

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This one is an even more exaggerated version of the above pose. In a May 2019 photoshoot for Cap 74024 magazine, Dafoe sits on the ground with his legs completely apart, almost like he’s doing the middle splits.^{[3]
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Research source} He’s also leaning forward with his elbows resting on the ground and his hands brought together in front of him, and of course, he’s making a serious and striking expression.
- How to do it: Sit down on the ground, and position your legs into a wide V, as close to the middle splits as you can get comfortably. Next, lean down until your elbows are resting on the ground, and bring your hands together, so your fingertips are touching.

3

Crouching on Stool Pose

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Some people might just sit on a stool normally for a photo shoot, but not Willem Dafoe! In this viral image, Dafoe crouches on top of a stool with his knees apart and his arms down in front of him, gripping the top of the seat. The pose is kinda similar to the stance of gargoyle statues from Gothic architecture, so many fans find it especially silly and fun to try out (see this TikTok post by @andras.beaubrun, for example).
- How to do it: Get into a crouching position on top of a stool and point your knees apart, then put your arms straight down in front of you (between your knees), and grip the top of the stool with your hands.

4

All Denim Lotus Pose

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In this image, Willem Dafoe sits on the ground with his legs in lotus position (a yoga pose that involves crossing your legs so that a foot rests on each thigh). His hands are resting on his head with his fingers interlocked, and his elbows are pointing outward. The pose itself requires a lot of flexibility, so it’s pretty darn impressive. When you add the fully-denim outfit into the mix, the result is a totally iconic image!
- How to do it: To get into lotus position, sit on the ground and bend your right knee, bringing your right foot across to rest on your left thigh. Next, bend your left knee and place your left foot on your right thigh. Gently press your knees toward the floor as much as you comfortably can, and keep the soles of your feet facing upward.
- Next, interlock your fingers, place your hands on your head, and angle your bent elbows outward. Extra points if you wear an all-denim outfit, too!
- If you can’t get into lotus pose, a regular criss-cross applesauce position totally works, too.

5

Bent Legs & Arms Stool Pose

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The love affair between Willem Dafoe and stools continues! In this pose, Dafoe sits on a stool with his bent knees facing outward at an exaggerated angle. His arms are also bent and facing outward, with his hands resting on his hips, and he stares head-on at the camera. This striking pose comes from an image in a 2024 issue of Telegraph magazine, shot by Neil Bedford.^{[4]
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- How to do it: Sit on a stool and rest your feet on the lower rungs, with your toes pointed outward. Bend your knees and point them outward as well. Rest your hands on your hips and bend your arms, angling your elbows outward like your knees, and look at the camera head-on.

6

Curled-Up Sleeping Pose

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In an image from a 2012 spread for Hobo magazine by Terry Richardson, Dafoe lies on the ground curled up in a fetal position with his hands resting under his head, as if he were sleeping peacefully. Appropriately, he’s dressed in some pretty comfy-looking Louis Vuitton pajamas!^{[5]
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- How to do it: Lie on your side on the ground, with your legs bent up toward your chest in fetal position. Bend your arms and place your palms together, then rest your hands under your head, as if you’re sleeping.
- If you’ve got a matching set of pajamas, be sure to wear those!

7

Elevated Legs Pose

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This photo, taken by Max Montgomery for Gentleman’s Journal, features Dafoe lying on his side on a wheeled cart, with his legs in a super elevated position resting on the handlebar.^{[6]
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Research source} The result is a pose that looks pretty darn uncomfortable, which makes the image super silly. It’s also been meme-ified and copied by lots of people on social media—check out this TikTok by @andras.beaubrun, for example!
- How to do it: Lie on your side on the ground, with your arms and hands curled up in front of your face. Keep your legs and feet together, and place them on top of a chair, stool, or some other elevated surface next to you, so your body forms a diagonal line.

8

Leg Up & Fancy Coat Pose

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In this 2017 photo by Erik Madigan Heck for GQ magazine, Dafoe wears a fancy fur coat, which he grips with his hands as he tucks his head into it and smiles at the camera.^{[7]
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Research source} His right leg is bent outward, with his foot high up off the ground.
- How to do it: Put on one of your fanciest fall or winter coats (extra points if it’s furry and long), and grab the collar area on both sides with each of your hands. Tuck your head down and to the right, as if snuggling into the coat’s warmth, and smile up at the camera. Finally, bring your right leg up, bend your knee at a 90-degree angle, and face it outward.
- Dafoe has done some great GQ shoots, notes Merrifield.^{[8]
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  Expert Source
  
  Daniel Merrifield
  Film and Pop Culture Analyst
  
  Expert Interview}

9

Extreme Bent Forward Pose

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This viral photo shows Dafoe leaning forward at an extreme 90-degree angle, with his chest parallel to the ground. His right arm is bent with his hand resting on his upper thigh, and his left arm is straight with his hand resting on his knee. His legs are completely straight and close-together, and his feet almost look like they’re in third position from ballet—the heel of one foot is positioned by the toe of the other, and both feet are pointed slightly outward.
- How to do it: Stand with your legs together, and turn your left foot outward, with the heel positioned by the toe of your right foot (which should also be angled slightly outward). Lean your body completely forward at a 90-degree angle, keeping your back straight. Rest your right hand on your upper thigh and bend your elbow, and rest your left hand on your knee.

10

Arms Behind Head & Legs Crossed Pose

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In this photo by photographer Sven Bänziger for Icon magazine, Dafoe stands with his hands behind his head, his arms bent, and his elbows facing outward. His left leg is crossed in front of his right leg, and his feet are angled with the toes touching and heels pointing away from each other, so they form a V-shape.^{[9]
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Research source} The result is a striking and eye-catching pose!
- How to do it: Interlock your fingers and place your hands behind your head, with your elbows bent and facing outward. Cross your left leg in front of your right leg, and angle your feet so that your toes are touching, and your heels are facing outward.
- Extra points if you wear an all-black outfit, including a black long-sleeve turtleneck!

11

Relaxed Lying-Down Pose

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Like the above pose, this photo features Dafoe resting his hands behind his head with his elbows facing outward, but this time he’s lying flat on the ground. His legs are straight and slightly apart, with his feet facing slightly outward, too. The pose itself isn’t super strange, but when you add in the facts that he’s wearing trousers, leather shoes, and an ankle-length coat, while lying outside on a pretty grimy-looking asphalt pathway, you get the classic strangeness of a Dafoe photo.
- How to do it: Lie on the ground and rest your hands behind your head, with your elbows bent and facing outward. Keep your legs straight and position them slightly apart in a V shape, and face your feet gently outward as well.

12

Scary Monster Pose

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In this black-and-white photo by Ethan James Green for Vanity Fair in 2020, Dafoe stands with his arms bent and hands in a loose, claw-like position (kind of the same way you might position your arms if you were miming a monster).^{[10]
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Research source} His left leg is also bent, with his foot off the ground and toe facing outward. He wears a tuxedo, and his hair is slicked back, which gives him a distinctly Dracula-like look. This is fitting, considering Dafoe has played some iconic villains in his film career!
- How to do it: Hold your arms up, bend your elbows, and bend your wrists, so your hands hang at a 90-degree angle. Raise your left leg and bend your knee at a 90 degree angle, and face your knee outward. Finish it all off with a mischievous-looking smile for that villainous flair!

13

Thoughtful Leaning Pose

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This photo by Max Montgomery for Gentleman’s Journal shows Dafoe sitting on the edge of a stool.^{[11]
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Research source} His right leg is bent and his foot is resting on a tall black block next to him, while his left leg extends straight out to the left, creating the appearance of an exaggerated lunge. His head is turned to the right, and he rests his head on his right hand in a thoughtful-looking pose. His black-and-white checkered suit and white ascot really complete the photo!
- How to do it: Sit on a stool and put your right foot on top of an object next to you (like a short side table, ottoman, or a box). Keep your right leg bent, and extend your left leg straight out in the opposite direction, almost as if you’re lunging.
- Rest the backside of your right elbow on your right knee, and bend your arm upward toward your face.
- Look off into the distance to your right, and rest your chin on your hand thoughtfully. Bend your left elbow and place your left hand on your left hip, and that’s it!

14

Crouched “Begging” Pose

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Also from the Max Montgomery photoshoot for Gentleman’s Journal, this photo shows Dafoe crouching down on the ground with his knees pointed outward.^{[12]
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Research source} He leans his upper body forward between his knees and extends his hands outward, palms up, as if begging for something, and stares straight into the camera.
- How to do it: Crouch down until your knees are completely bent, then angle them outward. Lean your upper body down between your knees, hold your palms out in front of you, and look into the camera with a serious expression.

15

House Pose

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This inexplicable pose may be the funniest one on our list, so we’ve saved it for last. In this strange and wonderful photo by Szilveszter Mako for GQ Italia, Willem Dafoe stands facing the camera head-on with his hands clasped in front of him. Sounds pretty normal, right? Well, here’s the wild part: he’s wearing a model of a house on his head, complete with a window, roof, and chimney! A circle seems to have been cut into the house for his face to peek through, but he’s wearing a totally straight expression, which adds to the hilarity of it all.
- How to do it: This one’s a little harder to achieve on your own, but if you draw/paint a house shape onto a cardboard box or piece of posterboard then cut out a circle for your face, you can totally parody this funny pic.
- See this Tiktok by @camilleormandy and this TikTok by @chanabbgirl for inspo!