American singer-songwriter and actress Olivia Isabel Rodrigo poses outside of Amoeba music in Los Angeles, California at the end of August 2021, as her debut album, “Sour”, gets released on vinyl. (Photo by Instagram)

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.

Host Jennifer Lopez performs during the 2015 American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California November 22, 2015. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

Rita Ora attends the World Premiere of JEREMY SCOTT: THE PEOPLE'S DESIGNER, presented by The Vladar Company and Quintessentially at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Tuesday, September 8, 2015, in Hollywood, Calif. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision for The Vladar Company/AP Images)

British singer-songwriter and television actress Rita Ora in the second decade of February 2025 shows off her abs while getting a caffeine fix. (Photo by ritaora/Instagram)

American model Bella Hadid comes out of her hotel on September 25, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pierre Suu/Getty Images)

Amanda Seyfried attends the premiere of 20th Century Fox's “The Art Of Racing In The Rain” at El Capitan Theatre on August 01, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images)

American singer Dove Cameron in the last decade of May 2023 takes a moody selfie to talk about her “healing”. (Photo by dovecameron/Instagram)