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.

Andrea Rossato, Italy. Professional; Candid. Children enjoy the simple pleasures of a seaside holiday. (Photo by Andrea Rossato/Sony World Photography Awards)

A photograph of Cuba's former President Fidel Castro decorates a wall inside a state-run market in Havana, March 8, 2016. (Photo by Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters)

LADANIVA, representing Armenia, performs “Jako” during the Grand Final of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, in Malmo, Sweden, on May 11, 2024. (Photo by Leonhard Foeger/Reuters)

Guests brew coffee during a wedding ceremony for a Free Syrian Army fighter in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria January 19, 2016. (Photo by Bassam Khabieh/Reuters)

Hindu holy man, or sadhu, applies paint to his forehead at his ashram on the premises of Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu February 15, 2015. Hindu holy men from Nepal and India come to this temple to take part in the Maha Shivaratri festival. Celebrated by Hindu devotees all over the world, Shivaratri is dedicated to Lord Shiva, and holy men mark the occasion by praying, smoking marijuana or smearing their bodies with ashes. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

A police officer escorts a civilian away from the scene of a shooting, Sunday, July 22, 2018, in Toronto, Canada. A gunman opened fire in central Toronto on Sunday night, injuring 13 people including a child. Two dead including gunman, police reported. (Photo by Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP Photo)

Salcomp players huddle at the center of the pitch of Arena da Amazonia after winning the Peladao amateur soccer tournament in Manaus, Brazil, Saturday, February 16, 2019. It is the team's second title, the first was in 2011. (Photo by Victor R. Caivano/AP Photo)