Alfred the frog looks almost as scary as the pumpkin he is perched on at London Zoo 26 October 2011. Keepers at the zoo have joined in the Halloween tradition by supplying pumpkin lunches to some of their animals, including the giant waxy monkey frog. However Alfred is not quite the giant figure his species name suggests – he actually measures up at around 4 inches (10 centimeters). (Photo by EPA/Zoological Society of London)

Vegetables, wood and charcoal are loaded onto the roof of a battered Peugeot on November 7, 2018 in Matadi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. From the port of Matadi to the capital Kinshasa, a 350 km road crosses the south-west of the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Photo by Junior D. Kannah/AFP Photo)

American actress and singer Bella Thorne keeps covered during Paris Fashion Week in the last decade of September 2024. (Photo by bellathorne/Instagram)

A civil defence volunteer wearing a Covid-19 coronavirus-themed helmet holds a placard as he takes part in an awareness campaign at a market in New Delhi on November 25, 2020. (Photo by Sajjad Hussain/AFP Photo)

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 man waits with his camel to take part in a camel decoration competition at the Nagaur Cattle Fair, where animals like camels, cows, horses, and bulls are brought to be sold or traded, in Nagaur, in the desert state of Rajasthan, India February 2, 2017. (Photo by Himanshu Sharma/Reuters)

A Goodwood official prepares to brave the rain on the opening day of the Glourious Goodwood, racing festivall at Goodwood Racecourse, Chichester, England on July 30, 2019. (Photo by David Hartley/PA Wire Press Association)

Spurt, an Australian Shepherd performs a obstacle run during Wild Wild Woof A SuperDogs Country & Western Spectacle at the 2025 K-Days Festival in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on July 26, 2025. With fast-paced races, gold-prospecting stunts, and plenty of tail-wagging charm, the SuperDogs deliver a high-energy country show the whole family can cheer for. (Photo by Artur Widak/Anadolu via Getty Images)