A gosling sits in the plumage of its mother, in a meadow in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, April 13, 2024. (Photo by Michael Probst/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.

Convicted murderer Hector Alvarado Mazariegos, right, drops to the ground as he is hit by bullets of a Guatemala firing squad in the public cemetery at Mazatenango, June 28, 1975. His companion, Rocael Ortiz, met the same fate a few seconds later. Both were convicted of murder. (Photo by AP Photo/Anzueto)

A caretta caretta pup is seen at Cirali Beach as they in a process of hatching and meeting the sea in Kemer district of Antalya, Turkey on July 22, 2020. 6 caretta caretta pups came out of the nest opened by the officials met the sea in the early morning. (Photo by Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

American actress Tommy Dorfman and American Afro-Panamanian actress Tessa Thompson at Boom Boom Room's Met Gala After-Party on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Marc Patrick/BFA.com)

Cast member Gina Hutton at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium on December 02, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. King and Gentoo Penguins at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium met their puppet counterparts ahead of Madagascar The Musical's Australian premiere in Sydney. (Photo by Wendell Teodoro/WireImage)

A swimmer goes for a dip in freezing temperatures at the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park, central London on December 1, 2023, as temperatures in the capital dip below zero for another night. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for parts of the UK with freezing temperatures and snow expected in large areas. (Photo by Ben Cawthra/London News Pictures)

Models on the catwalk Yeezy: Season 4 show, Spring Summer 2017, New York Fashion Week, USA on September 7, 2016. (Photo by Your Name/BFA/Rex Features/Shutterstock)