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.

View of an egg fried on the pavement in Pozo Hondo, Santiago del Estero, Argentina on January 23, 2016, while the real feel was 57 degrees Celsius. Pozo Hondo's Mayor Claudio Nicolau fried an egg on the pavement of the main square of the city Saturday. (Photo by AFP Photo/Stringer)

Dancers prepare before a performance in the backstage area of the Buick exhibition during the “Auto China 2014” Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing on April 21, 2014. Leading automakers have gathered in Beijing for the kickoff of China's biggest car show, but lackluster growth and environmental restrictions in the world's largest car market have thrown uncertainty into the mix. (Photo by AFP Photo)

American film star Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jean Mortenson or Norma Jean Baker). (Photo by Keystone Features/Getty Images). 1952

The Northern Lights glow green in a spectacular light show above a field of trees frozen solid with snow. (Photo by Jaak Sarv/Solent News & Photo Agency)

An instructor (C) adjusts the posture of students of flight attendant major during a training session at Anhui Foreign Languages University, in Hefei, Anhui province, China, May 25, 2015. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

Children attend a war safety awareness class conducted by civil defence members, in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan town in Idlib province, Syria May 14, 2016. (Photo by Khalil Ashawi/Reuters)

A man wearing a mask and dressed in a clown costume rides an electric tricycle while carrying a container in the shape of a rubber duck amid heavy smog in Beijing, China, December 29, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)