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.

Inquisitive elephant seal pups venture towards a photographer on South Georgia, an uninhabited island near Antarctica early July 2022. The seals are not used to seeing humans and shuffled closer to Charlotte Rhodes rather than shying away. (Photo by Charlotte Rhodes/Media Drum Images)

Seth Casteel is an award-winning photographer and the New York Times Best Selling Author of Underwater Dogs. His new book, Underwater Puppies, was published September 16, 2014. Photo: “Underwater Puppies”: Popcicle. (Photo by Seth Casteel)

The contest began in 2007, and since then photographers from more than 70 countries have entered. Photo: Michael O'Neal of San Francisco won first place in the animals category in the 2014 iPhone Photography Awards. (Photo by Michael O'Neal)

“Catasta” wearing a latex hexus costume poses in the grounds of St Mary's Church during the “Whitby Goth Weekend”, North Yorkshire, on November 2, 2014. The event grew out of the punk scene in 1984 with its own style of music and fashion. The event in Whitby now attracts Goths from all over Europe and creates over 1 million pounds in revenue for local busnisess. (Photo by Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire)

A photograph taken on November 20, 2021 shows the barberry berries with water drops after a rain in the garden outside Moscow. (Photo by Yuri Kadobnov/AFP Photo)

Young couple in BDSM action on the leather sofa. (Photo by Alamy Stock Photo)

Women in lingerie touching each other. (Photo by BDLM/Getty Images)