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.

Wearing a satin and lastex top and a skirt made of fishnet Ann Evors, a Paramount player, poses for the cameramen on the beach, circa 1928. (Photo by Central Press)

A driver maneuvers his classic American car along a wet road as a wave crashes against the Malecon in Havana, Cuba on Thursday. Hurricane Sandy blasted across eastern Cuba as a potent Category 2 storm and headed for the Bahamas after causing at least two deaths in the Caribbean. (Photo by Ramon Espinosa/Associated Press)

British born leading lady Elizabeth Taylor feeds the pigeons in Trafalgar Square, London. (Photo by Chris Ware/Keystone/Getty Images). November 1948

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)

The view at night from the Shanghai Tower in Shanghai, China on August 7, 2015. The tower is technically smaller than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai but, while the observation deck of Dubai’s mega-structure is at 556m, the Shanghai Tower’s is at 561m, meaning the view is a little higher. (Photo by Paul Reiffer/REX Shutterstock)

A Muslim bride waits for the start of a mass marriage ceremony in Mumbai, India, January 27, 2016. A total of 12 Muslim couples took their wedding vows during the mass marriage ceremony organised by a Muslim voluntary organisation, organisers said. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)