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 dog jumps into a swimming pool to retrieve a ball during the Chatsworth House Country Fair near Edensor, Britain on August 31, 2018. (Photo by Darren Staples/Reuters)

Vendors selling vegetables wait for customers under a flyover in the early morning in Ahmedabad, India on February 1, 2017. (Photo by Amit Dave/Reuters)

The moon is seen in its waxing gibbous stage as it rises behind the helicopter from the original Batman television show, which people can ride at the New Jersey State Fair, Saturday, June 22, 2013, in East Rutherford, N.J. The moon, which will reach its full stage on Sunday, is expected to be 13.5 percent closer to earth during a phenomenon known as supermoon. (Photo by Julio Cortez/AP Photo)

Actress Liv Tyler, 40, stripped in shots for the Triumph Essence's Autumn/Winter 2017 campaign in November, 2017. The Essence line is Triumph’s premium offering, with this season taking on the theme of “opulent Art Nouveau”, featuring designs in velvet embellished mesh, Leavers lace and silk satin. (Photo by Rankin/The Mega Agency)

American actress Bella Thorne claims she’s earned a staggering $2million during her first week as a creator on paid subscription service OnlyFans. The 22-year-old actress announced she’d joined the platform earlier this August 2020 with a sеxy, bikini-filled video. (Photo by Instagram/The Sun)

Tourists sit around a bonfire on the Makgadikgadi salt pan in Botswana. (Photo by Yang Mengxi/Xinhua News Agency/Barcroft Media)