From left, Cierra Fraser, 28, Los Angeles, a nanny, and Joslin Farley, 28, Los Angeles, a barista, poses in the outfits they wore to see the movie “Barbie” at TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California, on July 22, 2023. “I just knew that it was in good hands. I knew we were not gonna get a stereotypical barbie movie. I knew it was gonna be exactly what the people needed”, said Farley. (Photo by Jenna Schoenefeld for The Washington Post)

Offset and Cardi B are seen on July 17, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by PG/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

Spanish model Eugenia Silva attends a red carpet for the movie “Poor Things” at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 01, 2023 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Yara Nardi/Reuters)

English-French actress and singer-songwriter Charlotte Gainsbourg attends the red carpet of the movie “Sundown” during the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 05, 2021 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images)

Actress Olivia Munn attends the 2018 MTV Movie And TV Awards at Barker Hangar on June 16, 2018 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

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.