A visitor looks at a creation at the Artemide space during Milan Design Week, April 14, 2015. The Milan Design Week will be held until April 19. (Photo by Stefano Rellandini/Reuters)

“You” star, American actress Victoria Pedretti locks lips with American actor Fred Hechinger in New York City on February 26, 2024. (Photo by The Image Direct)

Latin dancing featured on the opening day of the 98th Blackpool Dance Festival in the Empress Ballroom in the city’s Winter Gardens on May 28, 2024. (Photo by James Glossop/ The Times & Sunday Times)

Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia reacts during her first round match against Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Monday, July 1, 2024. (Photo by Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Photo)

People view the sunrise scene at the Bund in Shanghai, east China, January 1, 2017. (Photo by Wang Hechun/Xinhua/Barcroft Images)

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 model presents a creation from the Fyodor Golan catwalk show at London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 16 in London, Britain February 19, 2016. (Photo by Neil Hall/Reuters)

In this photo taken on Monday, January 5, 2015, a mallard duck attempts to walk on a frozen pond in Yukon, Okla. (Photo by Steve Gooch/AP Photo/The Oklahoman)