Emma White, of Team Cyclocrossworld, hits the dirt hard during the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championship Elite Women's race at the Valmont Bike Park in Boulder, Colorado, on January 12, 2014. (Photo by Jeremy Papasso/The Daily Camera)

A view of the fireworks during the Edge at Hudson Yard's 4th of July Celebration at Edge at Hudson Yards on July 04, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Edge at Hudson Yards)

Participants of the the goth festival “Wave Gothic Festival” walk in fancy costumes along the festival area in Leipzig, central Germany, Saturday, May 23, 2015. About 20,000 members of the scene are expected to attend one of the world's largest gothic and “dark” culture festivals until May 25, 2015. (Photo by Jens Meyer/AP 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.

Sad woman standing near car with scratch on parking and talking by the phone. (Photo by Vera Petrunina/Getty Images)

A portrait of Kazakh historical figure Ablai Khan is projected on a building in downtown Astana, Kazakhstan, October 8, 2015. (Photo by Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters)

It’s enough to make your head spin. The photographer Katherine Young set out to shoot spiral staircases in London, England to great effect, including this shot she calls the Downward Spiral Part III. (Photo by Katherine Young/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

UK reality TV star Jemma Lucy enjoys a girls night out at Minagerie, Sakana and Club Liv in Manchester, England on September 18, 2016. (Photo by XposurePhotos.com)