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 masked participant carries a burning matress during the ancient carnival of Zubieta, in the northern Spanish Navarra province on January 30, 2018. The yearly three day festivities, revolving mainly around agriculture and principally sheep hearding, run on the last Sunday, Monday and Tuesday of January where Navarra Valley locals from two villages dress up and participate in a variety of activites as they perform a pilgrimage through each village. (Photo by Ander Gillenea/AFP Photo)

Kate Upton, from left, Maya Jama and Victoria Justice attend the Philipp Plein 2018 Fall/Winter Runway Show during New York Fashion Week at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Saturday, February 10, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP Photo)

Two women react to the camera as Nightclub Circus hosts the first dance event, which will welcome 6,000 clubbers to the city's Bramley-Moore Dock warehouse on April 30, 2021 in Liverpool, England. The event is part of the national Events Research Programme which will provide data on how events could be permitted to safely reopen. (Photo by Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)

Models prepare backstage ahead of the “Romance Was Born” show during Afterpay Fashion Week Australia Resort 22 Collections at Carriageworks on May 31, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jessica Hromas/The Guardian)

US actress Tiffany Haddish attends a photocall for the film “The Card Counter” presented in competition during the 78th Venice Film Festival, on September 2, 2021 at Venice Lido. (Photo by Yara Nardi/Reuters)

Irish television personality, model, and social media influencer Maura Higgins looked unrecognisable as she transformed into Pamela Anderson for Halloween on October 30, 2021. The 30-year-old star looked glam in a blonde curly hair as she channeled the Baywatch babe for an Ann Summers bash last night. (Photo by Shutterstock/Splash News)

Robert Lewandowski of Poland in action against Cristian Romero (R) of Argentina during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match between Poland and Argentina at Stadium 974 on November 30, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Amanda Perobelli/Reuters)