An Indian one-horned rhinoceros grazes on a dry wetland at the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River in Morigaon district of India's Assam state on April 4, 2025. (Photo by Biju Boro/AFP Photo)

Monae' Nichols of the United States competes in the preliminary round of the long jump competition during ATHLOS NYC25 on October 09, 2025 at Times Square in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Athlos/Getty 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.

David Bowie wears an eyepatch in red suit and guitar on blue background at Top Pop television studios in Holland while doing playback to his hit song Rebel Rebel in 1974. (Photo by Barry Schultz/Sunshine/REX Shutterstock)

A general view shows smoke and volcanic ashes billowing from volcano Cotopaxi in Pedregal, Ecuador, late 07 October 2015. (Photo by Jose Jacome/EPA)

A man holds his umbrella during snowfall on the Areopagitou pedestrian street beneath the Acropolis hill during snowfall in Athens, Greece, January 10, 2017. (Photo by Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters)

Two Inuit children at Point Barrow, Alaska, holding the tusks of a large walrus, probably killed for food, circa 1930. (Photo by General Photographic Agency/Getty Images)

Clouds reflect off the water as they pass over while SpaceX prepares their super heavy-lift Starship SN8 rocket for a test launch this week at the company's facilities in Boca Chita, Texas, U.S. December 1, 2020. (Photo by Gene Blevins/Reuters)