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.

Crampus from Netherworld Haunted House with Amber Thompson, spa staff, at Bliss Spa at W Atlanta Downtown hotel on Thursday, October 7, 2014. A self-guided, dark attraction known for its over-the-top special effects, intense make-up, costuming and stunt actors as well as unique monsters, unusual themes and chilling detail, Netherworld Haunted House in Atlanta is taking over the Halloween holiday this season for its 18th season. (Photo by Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Passionate fans are doing something unique (wacky) to celebrate the World Cup. They’re getting the likeness of their favorite player shaved into the back of their head. Photo: England fan Joel Moore (23) has had a haircut featuring the face of World Cup star Theo Walcott by Daren Terry from Lotus Styling in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. (Photo by Southern News & Pictures)

Roman Amoyan of Armenia, bottom, and Elman Mukhtarov of Azerbaijan compete in the the Men's wrestling, 59kg Greco-Roman Bronze Medal event at the 2015 European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, Saturday, June 13, 2015. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

A woman works to create handmade Nepali Lokta paper in Kathmandu January 7, 2015. Lokta papers are made from the fibrous inner bark of Lokta bushes that are found over 5,000 metres above sea level. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

REUTLINGEN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 17: Students hang out finished parchment leather at the LGR (Lederinstitut Gerberschule Reutlingen) tannery school on November 17, 2010 in Reutlingen, Germany. Even in early antiquity and up their hair or dried goat and sheep skins were used as material for documents. In the small Asian city Pergamon these skins were processed in large quantities for this purpose, so they formed the main trading arm of the city, of which the name is parchment is derived. In medieval times, reached the parchment is of great importance, it was such as France's production under the supervision of the University of Paris. Even now, important documents, placed on their unlimited shelf life as possible large value (eg diplomas, addresses, memory, writings, documents for primary and keystones) written on parchment...

The model Dovima in a suit and cloche hat at Les Deux Magots cafe in Paris, France in 1955. (Photo by Richard Avedon/The Richard Avedon Foundation/The Guardian)

Charles Manson plays up to the camera during a 1988 interview with reporter Geraldo Rivera at San Quentin prison in 1988. Authorities say Manson, cult leader and mastermind behind 1969 deaths of actress Sharon Tate and several others, died on Sunday, November 19, 2017. He was 83. (Photo by AP Photo)