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.

Penitent Jerry Mazon, 9, wears his “Morions” mask while playing with his baby brother during Holy Week celebrations in Mogpog, Marinduque in central Philippines March 22, 2016. (Photo by Erik De Castro/Reuters)

“Left behind” children Luo Hongni, 11 (L) and brother Luo Gan,10, carry flowers to be used as feed while doing chores in the fields on December 18, 2016 in Anshun, China. Like millions of Chinese children, the four Luo siblings are being raised by their grandparents in rural China as their parents left to find work in urban areas. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Iraqi firefighters try to stop the fire of burning oil wells in Kirkuk, northern Iraq, 02 June 2016. Two Khabbaz oil field wells in Kirkuk Province, northern Iraq, exploded by suspected insurgents, a security official said. (Photo by EPA/Stringer)

Artist Emiliano Paolini (R), and his partner Marianela Perelli, show their “Ken” doll that they have re-designed into the religious figure of Jesus Christ at their workshop in Rosario, north of Buenos Aires September 23, 2014. Paolini and Perelli have adapted religious figures such as Jesus Christ, Moses and the Virgin of Guadalupe to Mattel's line of Barbie and Ken dolls and are working on more religious figures, although they say they will not be using the Prophet Muhammad to avoid controversy. They plan to have a gallery show in Buenos Aires next October. (Photo by Enrique Marcarian/Reuters)

Civilians, who fled the violence in Manbij city, arrive to the southeastern rural area of Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria June 19, 2016. (Photo by Rodi Said/Reuters)

Cemetery overcrowding is an issue that resonates around the world, particularly in its most cramped cities and among religions that forbid or discourage cremation. The reality of relying on finite land resources to cope with the endless stream of the dying has brought about creative solutions... (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

The Tsaatan people are one of the world’s last groups of nomadic reindeer herders and they live in Khövsgöl Aimag in northern Mongolia. They are originally from across the border in what is now the Tuva republic of Russia. (Photo by Pascal Mannaerts/Rex Feature/Shutterstock)