People travel by tube on the London Underground to take part in the Pride in London parade, London, Saturday, July 1, 2023. (Photo by Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire via AP Photo)

A dog named Luna wears a dracula costume during a Halloween pet party at a mall in Valenzuela city, Philippines on Saturday, October 19, 2024. (Photo by Aaron Favila/AP Photo)

A woman poses with a retro VAZ 2101 car during the annual BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia on October 22, 2024. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

Senior company members of the Dance Centre Kenya (DCK) Neema Lazzaroni (C) and Azza Qamar Rollins (R) hold onto each other while following the performance backstage ahead of their roles in The Nutcracker at the Kenya National Theatre in Nairobi on December 7, 2024. The Nutcracker is a beloved Christmas ballet, first performed in 1892, with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Known for its enchanting score and festive themes, it has become a holiday tradition worldwide. (Photo by Luis Tato/AFP Photo)

A supporter of South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a rally on a road near the Constitutional Court in Seoul on February 4, 2025, after Yoon arrived at the court for hearings that will decide whether to remove him from office. (Photo by Anthony Wallace/AFP Photo)

A demonstrator uses her phone to take a “selfie” picture during the 12th annual “SlutWalk” march through central Jerusalem on June 14, 2024 to protest against rape culture, including sеxual assault and harassment directed at women, and calling for an end to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip and action to release hostages taken captive during the October 7 attacks. (Photo by Hazem Bader/AFP Photo)

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.

People walk past the Sleepwalker, a sculpture along the High Line in New York, US on May 10, 2016. The hyperrealistic work by Brooklyn artist Tony Matelli is part of the linear park’s Wanderlust exhibition. (Photo by Xinhua/Barcroft Images)