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.

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.

Every man looks better with a beard. Here's proof.

The cast of The Expendables, L-R: actors Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren and Terry Crews attended the ringing of the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street in NYC today. There is something so unsexy (not to mention suspect) about a male who constantly takes off his shirt to flex his muscles while in the company of other alpha males.

The original costumes for Star Wars character Darth Vader stand on display at “Star Wars: The Exhibition” at County hall on May 04, 2007 in London, England. (Photo by MJ Kim/Getty Images)