Performance of the actress Asia Argento dedicated to the exhibition of the tattoo artist Marco Manzo at the Vittoriano museum in Rome, Italy on December 11, 2018. (Photo by Barbara Amendola/IPA Press)

People are captured by FLIR (Forward-Looking Infrared) HD Thermal Imaging Cameras as they walk near the FLIR exhibit at the Las Vegas Convention Center during CES 2019 in Las Vegas on January 10, 2019. (Photo by David McNew/AFP Photo)

Dancers from the Tareikura Academy dance on stage during The Power Of Inclusion Summit 2019 at Aotea Centre on October 03, 2019 in Auckland, New Zealand. The Power of Inclusion is a global summit where international and local voices share their stories, experiences and expertise to generate momentum for a future where representation and inclusion are the new screen industry standards. The Power of Inclusion summit is hosted by New Zealand Film Commission and Women in Film and Television International, with support from The Walt Disney Studios. (Photo by Michael Bradley/Getty Images for New Zealand Film Commission)

A U.S. Army B-24 Liberator Bomber is hailed by a ground crewman as it takes off over a line of shark- nosed fighter planes at an advanced base in China on a mission on October 10, 1943, to bomb Japanese installations. (Photo by AP Photo)

Colombia fans celebrate a goal during the World Cup Group C soccer match between Colombia and Greece, at a park in Bogota June 14, 2014. (Photo by John Vizcaino/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.

A woman reacts during the annual “Tomatina” tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol near Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, August 27, 2025. (Photo by Alberto Saiz/AP Photo)

A protester is sprayed by a Department of Homeland Security officer outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (Photo by Jenny Kane/AP Photo)