Photographer Howard Schatz had an idea: place actors in a series of roles and dramatic situations to reveal the essence of their characters. Such was the premise behind his book, In Character: Actors Acting, which captures some of Hollywood’s most emotive stars in the act of, well, making faces. Luckily for us, he continued the tradition for Vanity Fair. Here are some of the best.

In this photo provided by Mickey Nuttall, members of an international team of skydivers join hands, flying head-down to build their world record skydiving formation, Friday, July 31, 2015, over Ottawa, Ill. (Photo by Jason Peters via AP Photo)

The first gender-neutral restroom in the Los Angeles school district is seen at Santee Education Complex high school in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 18, 2016. (Photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

Dancers attend a photocall for the new “The One – Grand Show” at Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin, Germany September 28, 2016. The show, which features costumes by French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier, premieres on 06 October. (Photo by Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)

Model Bella Hadid is seen on June 9, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Marc Piasecki/GC Images)

Kacey Musgraves and Gigi Hadid attend the 53nd annual CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena on November 13, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Charles Pulliam/Reuters)

ATTENTION PLEASE! This publication is NOT about cute animals! This is a compilation of photographs of DIFFERENT content! Some photos may SHOCK YOU.

Photo: An eleven-week-old lion cub growls as she plays with a stuffed toy at the San Francisco Zoo April 25, 2003 in San Francisco, California. The cub's mother, Kita, died two days after giving birth to her and her brother. Zookeepers have hand fed and cared for the two surviving cubs around the clock since their mother died. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

A donkey savors warming temperatures after a long winter at the zoo in Warsaw, Poland, on Wednesday, April 8, 2015. (Photo by Czarek Sokolowski/AP Photo)