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.

International photographic competition, which runs in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London, awards special prize for the best close-up images. Here: Winner – Mayflies by Petar Sabol, Goričan, Croatia. (Photo by Sabol Petar/International Garden Photographer of the Year)

Run by the Society of German Nature Photographers (Gesellschaft Deutscher Tierfotografen), the prestigious annual contest celebrates the best wildlife photography from members in Germany. Here: Landscapes, second place: Florian Smit, “Rainforest” (Danum valley, Borneo). (Photo by Florian Smit/2019 GDT Nature Photographer of the Year)

A dead wild boar is seen during a hunt in Castell'Azzara, Tuscany, central Italy, October 23, 2015. Extinct across much of the country by the end of the 1800s, the number of wild boar in Italy has almost doubled over the past decade and there are now about a million roaming the country, environmental and agricultural associations say. (Photo by Max Rossi/Reuters)

Thai officials inspect counterfeit watches before destroying them at Khlongluang Transportation Station in Pathumtani province, on the outskirts of Bangkok April 9, 2015. The counterfeit goods, which included piles of CDs, DVDs, handbags, clothes, brand name shoes, cell phones, caps, glasses, computers, cosmetics and watches are worth over 3.7 billion Thai baht ($ 115,790,901), according to local authorities. (Photo by Chaiwat Subprasom/Reuters)

A woman rolls a marijuana cigarette during the first “Expo Cannabis” fair in Montevideo December 14, 2014. Expo Cannabis offers conferences about different topics such as the medicinal use of cannabis and cultivation techniques as well as displaying hemp goods, cannabis cultivation items and seeds. (Photo by Andres Stapff/Reuters)

Worker Shi Shenwei pulls a wheelbarrow at the construction site of a Buddhist temple in the village of Huangshan, near Quanzhou, Fujian Province, China, September 28, 2016. For most construction workers, lunch is a welcome break to rest and refuel. Not for Shi Shenwei. the 23-year-old spends his midday break jumping and swinging through a maze of scaffolding poles, performing a fitness routine that has made him China's latest social media sensation. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)

Gold medalist Jesper Pedersen of Norway with silver medalist Rene de Silvestro of Italy and bronze medalist Liang Zilu of China are seen during the flower ceremony for the Para Alpine Skiing, Men's Giant Slalom Sitting on March 10, 2022. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)