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.

Viagra Boys – Ain't Nice. Viagra Boys are a Swedish post-punk band from Stockholm. In 2018, they released their first album, Street Worms. Nils Hansson, a journalist at the newspaper Dagens Nyheter described the band favorably, praising their musical style, as well as their use of black humor and satire, and rated the album a five out of five. In 2019, the band won the Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA) Album of the Year Award for Street Worms.

A cosplayer uses moving stairs during the first public day of the world's largest computer games fair Gamescom in Cologne, Germany August 23, 2017. (Photo by Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters)

A woman in costume stands on the street during pre-Halloween weekend party in Shanghai, China on October 28, 2023. During the last weekend before Halloween, which comes on Tuesday, 31 October 2023, hundreds of youngsters dressed in costumes overwhelmed the streets of Shanghai. Halloween in China become popular due to the influences of Western expats and foreign teachers. (Photo by Alex Plavevski/EPA/EFE)

Brazilian model and television personality Alessandra Ambrosio attends Alessandra Ambrosio And Darren Dzienciol's Horror In The Hills on October 31, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Rochelle Brodin/Getty Images)

Elysia Gonzalez, right, helps Caterine Sanchez adjust her hat inside the ladies room ahead of the Belmont Stakes horse race, Saturday, June 10, 2023, at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. (Photo by Mary Altaffer/AP Photo)

Members of the Hitler Youth who are trained to report airstrikes repaining their bicycles. Published by: “Die Sirene”. 1942. (Photo by Herbert Hoffmann/Ullstein Bild via Getty Images)