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.

This undated image provided by World View shows World View capsule and balloon spacecraft that will rise to 100,000 feet above Earth for passengers to see the curvature of the planet and the blackness of space. Space tourism companies are employing designs including winged vehicles, vertical rockets with capsules and high-altitude balloons. While developers envision ultimately taking people to orbiting habitats, the moon or beyond, the immediate future involves short flights into or near the lowest reaches of space without going into orbit. (Photo by World View via AP Photo)

Yogis, Israeli and foreigners, participate in the Arava Yoga Annual festival at the ancient copper mines area of the Timna Valley, in the southern Arava region of Israel, north of Eilat on November 2, 2018. (Photo by Menahem Kahana/AFP Photo)

Dancers resting on the rooftop of the SKD Theatre Asakusa, Tokyo, 1949. (Photo by Tanuma Takeyoshi/The Guardian)

University students demonstrate against the crisis in the public education, budget cuts and a tax reform project announced by the government of Ivan Duque in Medellin, Colombia on December 13, 2018. (Photo by Joaquín Sarmiento/AFP Photo)

A bandana-clad anti-government demonstrator gestures as she stands by the smoke of burning tires at a make-shift roadblock in Zouk Mosbeh north of Lebanon's capital Beirut, on March 8, 2021 during a protest against the deteriorating value of the local currency and dire economic and social conditions. (Photo by Joseph Eid/AFP Photo)

A girl has her face painted during the 236th annual Military, Civic, and Firemen’s Parade as part of 4th of July celebrations in Bristol, Rhode Island, U.S., July 5, 2021. (Photo by Quinn Glabicki/Reuters)

Rosita, a character from the children's television series Sesame Street, gestures in front of Abraham Lincoln's portrait, during an event with children hosted by U.S. first lady Jill Biden of as part of the Christmas decoration and holiday reception kickoff at the White House, in Washington, U.S., November 29, 2021. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst /Reuters)