Performers take part in the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, at the National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, on February 4, 2022. (Photo by Manan Vatsyayana/AFP Photo)

Figure skater Alexandra Trusova of Team ROC practices during a training session at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China on February 19, 2022. (Photo by Valery Sharifulin/TASS)

Baltimore Orioles center fielder Austin Hays leaps while taking the field prior to the first inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Baltimore. (Photo by Julio Cortez/AP Photo)

Marcus Semien #2 of the Texas Rangers is doused with sports drink after the game against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field on June 03, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

Karolina Kluskova of the Czech Republic formed one part of an artistic swimming duet at the European Games at Aquatics Centre in Oswiecim, Poland on June 22, 2023. (Photo by Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters)

A BYU fan show his support during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Oklahoma, Saturday, November 18, 2023, in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Rick Bowmer/AP Photo)

The new Toyota Camry Hybrid LE is parked next to the redesigned 2012 Camry SE after the unveiling event on the Paramount Studios lot on August 23, 2011 in Hollywood, California. The five-seat Camry SE and the Hybrid XLE sedans go on sale in December. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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.