In this photograph taken on July 10, 2012, a Pakistani worker pulls on a wire he will connect to a thick chain that will in turn be used to peel away a slab of the outer structure of a beached vessel in one of the 127 ship-breaking plots in Geddani, some 40Kms west of Karachi. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/AFP Photo)

A traffic police woman whistles at a pedestrian, Monday, July 27, 2015, in Pyongyang, North Korea where its citizens are having a one-day national holiday to celebrate the country's 62nd anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War. (Photo by Wong Maye-E/AP Photo)

A Black and Tan Coonhound named Harbor has the longest ears of any living dog, with measurements of 12.25 (31,12 cm) inches for the left ear and 13.5 (34,29 cm) inches for the right. (Photo by Ryan Schude/Guinness World Records via AP)

Brazilian singer Larissa de Macedo Machado, better known by her stage name Anitta performs during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, U.S., April 22, 2022. (Photo by Maria Alejandra Cardona/Reuters)

British glamour model and actress Sabrina (born Norma Ann Sykes, 1936-2016), during a press conference at Park Lane House in London on June 24, 1955. (Photo by ANL/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

American media personality Paris Hilton (L) and American rapper Megan Thee Stallion are seen onstage during NYLON Nights: NYFW x Paris Hilton Infinite Icon Album Release Party presented by Hey Dude at Hall Des Lumieres on September 05, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for NYLON)

Bob Steele, of Jefferson, Texas, positions his bears during The Great Bear Show at the Dubuque (Iowa) County Fair on July 25, 2012. (Photo by Jessica Reilly/Telegraph Herald)

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.