A Palestinian youth practices his parkour skills at Shati refugee camp in Gaza City April 27, 2014. (Photo by Mohammed Salem/Reuters)

A rainbow is seen near a cloud south of Corvallis, Ore., Monday, May 19, 2014. (Photo by Andy Cripe/AP Photo/The Corvallis Gazette-Times)

Crocodile skin is seen at a workshop in the old Medina of Marrakesh December 13, 2014. (Photo by Youssef Boudlal/Reuters)

A Spanish recortador jumps over a bull during a show in Cali December 21, 2014. (Photo by Jaime Saldarriaga/Reuters)

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.

A large sand sculpture is seen at the site of Yokohama Sand Art Exhibition – Culture City of East Asia 2014 on July 16, 2014 in Yokohama, Japan. Producer and sand sculptor Katsuhiko Chaen invited artists from around the world including South Korea and China, to recreate the World Heritage and historical buildings in China, Japan and South Korea. The exhibition will be open from July 19 to November 3, 2014. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Workers are pictured at a shisha manufacturing factory in Baghdad December 17, 2014. (Photo by Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters)