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.

These are some of the Real Doll bodies made by Abyss Creations being assembled in the factory on Tuesday, September 12, 2017 in San Marcos, California. Customers can dictate their partner’s character by choosing between 18 personality traits including shy, sensual, jealous, moody or talkative. (Photo by Eduardo Contreras/San Diego Union-Tribune via ZUMA/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Christie Brinkley is seen walking in midtown on August 21, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)

A Shariah law official whips a woman who is convicted of prostitution during a public caning outside a mosque in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, Friday, April 20, 2018. Indonesia's deeply conservative Aceh province on Friday caned several unmarried couples for showing affection in public and two women for prostitution before an enthusiastic audience of hundreds. The canings were possibly the last to be carried out before large crowds in Aceh after the province's governor announced earlier this month that the punishments would be moved indoors. (Photo by Heri Juanda/AP Photo)

Female members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) honour guard stand behind a string to ensure that they are in a straight line before a welcoming ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, June 25, 2016. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

Firefighters and emergency personnel climb the stairs during the Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb at the Crown Metropol Melbourne in Melbourne, Australia, 10 September 2022. The Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb features firefighters and emergency personnel climbing 28 flights of stairs wearing 25kgs of turnout gear to raise money for mental health. (Photo by Con Chronis/EPA/EFE)

American media personality Kim Kardashian seen on February 17, 2019 in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Hollywood To You/Star Max/GC Images)

Participants of the the goth festival “Wave Gothic Festival” walk in fancy costumes along the festival area in Leipzig, central Germany, Saturday, May 23, 2015. About 20,000 members of the scene are expected to attend one of the world's largest gothic and “dark” culture festivals until May 25, 2015. (Photo by Jens Meyer/AP Photo)