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 woman photographs a Norwegian spruce Christmas tree from Oslo after it was lit at Trafalgar Square in central London, December 4, 2014. (Photo by Toby Melville/Reuters)

A medical worker wearing a full protective outfit tests a man for Covid-19 symptoms in a street in Wuhan, China, 01 April 2020. Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, partly lifted the lockdown allowing people to enter the city after more than two months. According to Chinese government figures over 2,500 people have died of Covid-19 in Wuhan since the outbreak began. (Photo by Roman Pilipey/EPA/EFE)

Democratic Congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez poses with a campaign worker during a whistle stop in Queens, New York, November 5, 2018. (Photo by Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

Winning connections from the owners and stable staff celebrate the victory of Harry Skelton riding Langer Dan to victory in The Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle during day two of the Cheltenham Festival 2023 at Cheltenham Racecourse on March 15, 2023 in Cheltenham, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)

Soldiers ask a tourist to evacuate Mirador beach ahead of Hurricane Beryl's expected arrival in Tulum, Mexico, July 4, 2024. (Photo by Fernando Llano/AP Photo)

Men carrying a shrine jump over a bon fire, which means a wish for good luck during a traditional Chinese lunar new year celebration in Jieyang, Guangdong province, China, February 2, 2017. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

Riot police stand guard behind a fire as refinery workers hold a blockade of the oil depot of Douchy-Les-Mines to protest against the government's proposed labour reforms, on May 25, 2016. Refinery workers stepped up strikes that threaten to paralyse France weeks ahead of the Euro 2016 tournament as the government moved to break their blockades, escalating a three-month tug-of-war over labour reforms. (Photo by François L.O./AFP Photo)