A student activist is detained during a silent protest after Thailand's election commission filed charges against a group for posting “foul and strong” comments online criticising a military-backed draft constitution, in Bangkok, Thailand April 27, 2016. (Photo by Jorge Silva/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.

Members of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) demonstrate their skills on motor-bikes during the BSF Golden Jubilee Day celebration in New Delhi on December 1, 2015. (Photo by Money Sharma/AFP Photo)

Indian commuters wade through floodwaters during the continuous rain shower in Calcutta, India, July 10, 2015. A monsoon shower hit the city and disrupted daily life. The Indian monsoon, takes place between May and September. (Photo by Piyal Adhikary/EPA)

A woman carries her child, both wearing traditional red clothes celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year in Bangkok February 19, 2015. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

A man carries floats as he walks on an algae covered beach as a truck collecting algae passes by, along the coastline in Qingdao, Shandong province, July 6, 2015. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

Pоrn actresses take a break at the Venus erotic fair in Berlin, Germany, October 15, 2015. The event, which represents the erotic business in the German capital, is open till October 18, 2015. (Photo by Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)

The “EMIEW3” robot (R) demonstrates communicating with a visitor during a press preview in Tokyo on April 8, 2016. Japanese electronics giant Hitachi unveiled its humanoid customer service and guidance robot “EMIEW3” and “remote brain” robotics IT platform. (Photo by Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP Photo)