Actresses from left Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Margot Robbie and Ella Jay Basco pose for a selfie photo upon arrival at the world premiere of “Birds of Prey” in London, Wednesday, January 29, 2020. (Photo by Joel C. Ryan/Invision/AP Photo)

A grey heron is seen at the Sempione park, after Lombardy was downgraded from a red to an orange zone, loosening the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions including allowing non-essential shops to re-open, in Milan, Italy, April 13, 2021. (Photo by Flavio Lo Scalzo/Reuters)

Fans of US singer Taylor Swift, also known as a Swifties, queue to enter at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for the first of Swift's three shows in Melbourne on February 16, 2024. Swift is playing to 260,000 fans over three concerts in Melbourne starting February 16 as part of her Eras World Tour. (Photo by William West/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.

The social media star Demi Rose, 23, posed for a sizzling new photoshoot to promote her new swimwear line in Ibiza, Spain on Thursday, June 21, 2018. (Photo by KP Pictures)

American actress Camila Mendes in the first decade of September 2023 celebrates the launch of the Armani Beauty campaign. (Photo by Camilamendes/Instagram)

A member of the U.S. Secret Service looks on as Marine One carrying President Joe Biden departs from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, on October 17, 2024. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Reuters)

British singer and actress Rita Ora performs on the stage at Sporting Summer Festival in Monaco on Tuesday, August 7, 2018. (Photo by Andrew Timms/Rita Ora Instagram)