A Humboldt penguin stands on weighing scales whilst being photographed by members of the press during a photocall at the annual weigh-in at London Zoo in London, Britain, 24 August 2016. Every animal that is in the zoo is weighed and measured and the statistics recorded so the data can be shared with zoos across the world. (Photo by Hannah McKay/EPA)

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 reveller takes part in an annual block party known as “Cordao de Prata Preta”, one of the many carnival parties to take place in the neighbourhoods of Rio de Janeiro, February 6, 2016. (Photo by Pilar Olivares/Reuters)

Chacha, the male chimp, screams at a worker in Sendai, northern Japan, Thursday, April 14, 2016 after fleeing from a zoo. The chimpangzee tried desperately to avoid being captured by climbing an electric pole. Chacha was on the loose nearly two hours Thursday after it disappeared from the Yagiyama Zoological Park in Sendai, the city that's hosting finance ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized nations in May. (Photo by Kyodo News via AP Photo)

A penitent called “Morion” checks his mobile phone in Mogpog town on Marinduque island in central Philippines April 14, 2014. During the annual festival, masked and costumed penitents called “Moriones” dress in attire that is the local interpretation of what Roman soldiers wore during biblical times. Holy Week is celebrated in many Christian traditions during the week before Easter. (Photo by Erik De Castro/Reuters)

Toyota driver Rainer Wissmans of Germany drives during the 2nd stage of the Dakar Rally 2015, from Villa Carlos Paz to San Juan January 5, 2015. (Photo by Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters)

A group of costumed fans attend Comic-Con International at San Diego Convention Center on July 12, 2015 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)

Clearing skies await a tripod-toting photographer looking for a spot to capture the early-morning light at Portland Head Light, Thursday, January 17, 2013, in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. (Photo by Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo)