Alex Plunkett, left, and Sean Hart, both of Arlington, Va., join hundreds participating in the annual International Pillow Fight Day on April 5. Massive pillow fights broke out on the Mall in Washington and in cities around the world. (Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

A street performer dressed up as a waiter performs for at Marques de Larios street in downtown Malaga, Spain, July 4, 2016. (Photo by Jon Nazca/Reuters)

A girl swims in floodwaters in Malaysia' s northeastern town of Rantau Panjang, which borders Thailand, on January 5, 2017 Floods in two northeast Malaysian states have now forced almost 23,000 people from their homes and extra relief centres have been opened, rescue officials said on January 4. (Photo by Mohd Rasfan/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.

A protester raises her fist at the entrance of Highway 280 and S. 4th St. as people protest the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in downtown San Jose, Calif., on Friday, May 29, 2020. (Photo by Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

Traffic enforcer Ramiro Hinojas, 51, wears a Santa Claus costume while directing motorists through traffic at an intersection in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines on November 28, 2017. (Photo by Romeo Ranoco/Reuters)

Dinosaur robots acting as receptionist greet a hotel employee demonstrating how to check-in to the hotel during a press preview for the newly-opening Henn na Hotel Maihama Tokyo Bay in Urayasu, east of Tokyo, Japan March 15, 2017. The reception desk is handled by robots that speak Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean, as well as porter robots that help guests carry luggage to their rooms. Tasks such as window-cleaning and vacuuming are also handled by robots. Japan's second robot-run hotel Henn na Hotel (“strange hotel” in Japanese) opened on March 15, 2017 as the robot-staffed hotel near Tokyo, operating company H.I.S. Co. said. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters)

A commuter exits a closed off station after a subway train derailment, Tuesday, June 27, 2017, in the Harlem neighborhood of New York. A subway train derailed near a station in Harlem on Tuesday, frightening passengers and resulting in a power outage as people were evacuated from trains along the subway line. The Fire Department of New York said a handful of people were treated for minor injuries at around 10 a.m. It said there was smoke but no fire. Delays were reported throughout the subway system. (Photo by Mary Altaffer/AP Photo)