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.

On the Internet appeared the video, on which shows, according to the author of the video, as in the photos, which were taken by U.S. space probe MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging), American automatic interplanetary station (AWS) for the study of Mercury, on the surface of Mercury has been found an unusual object... (Photo by NASA)

Juno, a Beluga whale, greets a young viewer at the Mystic aquarium in Connecticut, USA on December 5, 2015. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis)

A young female demonstrator is arrested by police during clashes in the Causeway Bay area of Hong Kong, China on October 6, 2019. Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched through the city's streets in defiance of the new “no-mask” law, which was introduced two days ago as demonstrations roll into a 14th week. (Photo by Rick Findler/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Porters carry the carcasses of a shark (L) and a Marlin (R) to the local market in Hamarweyne near the port of Mogadishu on the Indian Ocean coast on November 18, 2014 in the Somalia capital as fishermen bring in their catch. (Photo by Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP Photo)

Actor Bryan Cranston engages Julia-Louis Dreyfus in a prolonged kiss as she takes the stage to accept the award for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series for her role in HBO's “Veep” during the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California August 25, 2014. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

Jean-Pierre Giagnoli walks through a crowded area of vendors hawking cat related goods at CatCon LA in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 26, 2016. (Photo by Richard Vogel/AP Photo)

Girls bath inside a drum on a hot summer day at a field in New Delhi, April 18, 2017. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)