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)

“Woman with Umbrella in Rain” by Raimund von Stillfried. Artist: Kusakabe Kimbei (Japanese, 1841–1934), 1870s. Commercial photography studios in Meiji-era Japan were renowned for the subtlety and refinement of their coloring techniques. This hand-tinted image of a young woman caught in a heavy rainstorm achieved its naturalistic effect by knitting together multiple strands of artifice: the greenery in the foreground was a studio prop; the flaps of the kimono were suspended by thin wires to create the impression of a strong wind; and long, diagonal marks were made on the negative to suggest streaks of rain. (Photo courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

A Muslim woman reads the Quran following noon prayers on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, June 6, 2016. Devout Muslims began to celebrate Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, refraining from eating, drinking, smoking and sеx from sunrise to sunset. (Photo by Tatan Syuflana/AP Photo)

A group of scantily-clad women pose for photographs at the annual Venus erotic trade fair in Berlin, Germany on 12 October 2017. Venus Berlin is among the largest international erotic trade fairs, with more then 250 exhibitions from 40 countries and 30,000 visitors. (Photo by Alamy Live News)

Kristina Elekes, 23, races on her ski during the Bikini Race contest held at Arena Platos Paltinis winter resort, near Sibiu city, 275 Km north from Bucharest, Romania, 06 March 2016. Bikini Race is a timed show on the slopes, at the fourth edition, for women dressed only in swimmsuits and some winter accessories. (Photo by Mihaela Bobar/EPA)

Topless activist Kaila J. walks through the rain following a “Free the Nipple” demonstration in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire August 23, 2015. (Photo by Brian Snyder/Reuters)

An Iraqi Muslim woman walks past Christmas decorations for sale in the Shiite holy city of Najaf on December 17, 2015. (Photo by Haidar Hamdani/AFP Photo)

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.