Young Muslim worshippers stand in the rain at the shrine of the 12th-century Sunni cleric Abdul Qadir al-Jilani (Gilani) in Baghdad as people gather to perform the prayers for Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, as observed locally on March 31, 2025. (Photo by Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP Photo)

Competitors warms up ahead of taking the stage during the Arnold Classic Europe bodybuilding event in Las Rozas, Spain on October 12, 2024. (Photo by Isabel Infantes/Reuters)

White Bengal tiger named Romina is pictured inside its new enclosure at La Aurora Zoo in Guatemala City on October 24, 2024. (Photo by Johan Ordonez/AFP 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.

A monkey is led by its trainer Qi Defang during training for a circus in Suzhou, Anhui province, November 29, 2014. Suzhou is known as the hometown of circus troupes in China and has more than 300 circus troupes. (Photo by William Hong/Reuters)

This image obtained January 31, 2017 from the US Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory showing a lava stream, pouring out of the lava tube on the sea cliff at the Kamokuna ocean entry from the Kilauea Volcano on January 29. (Photo by AFP Photo/USGS)

Cemetery workers repaint tombs inside the municipal cemetery in Navotas city, north of Manila October 29, 2015. Filipinos are preparing to celebrate All Saints Day on November 1 by visiting the graves of their departed loved ones. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Reuters)

Dancers perform during La Paz Fashion Week in La Paz, Bolivia, February 7, 2019. (Photo by David Mercado/Reuters)