Students hold their weapons before the swearing in ceremony for the military students, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, October 25, 2017. The Romanian Army is proudly celebrating their Army Day and marking 100-years since the landmark battle of Marasesti, a key World War I battle in 1917 when Romanian and Russian soldiers defeated German troops, halting a German offensive. (Photo by Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo)

Kieran Woolley of Australia crashes into a cameraman during mens park skateboard at the Olympics at Ariake Urban Park, Tokyo, Japan on August 5, 2021. (Photo by Lisi Niesner/Reuters)

Beach volleyball athletes from Lithuania and Spain train in Paris on July 25, 2024. (Photo by Louisa Gouliamaki/Reuters)

People make their way on an algae-covered beach in Qingdao, Shandong province, China, July 19, 2015. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

Dancer Beth Bracegirdle of the Balbir Singh Dance Company practises at the Billingham Forum pool in Billingham, UK on July 20, 2016, ahead of the 52nd Billingham international folklore festival of world dance in August. (Photo by Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)

Galapagos – Rocking the Cradle: Four major ocean currents converge along the Galapagos archipelago, creating the conditions for an extraordinary diversity of animal life, April 25, 2016. The islands are home to at least 7,000 flora and fauna species, of which 97 percent of the reptiles, 80 percent of the land birds, 50 percent of the insects and 30 percent of the plants are endemic. (Photo by Thomas P. Peschak for National Geographic/World Press 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.

Angel Taylor Hill attends Angel Taylor Hill introduces the new Tease Dreamer Fragrance Collection at Victoria's Secret on March 12, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)