A Vietnamese cosplayer poses as police officer character from the game during the League of Legends (LOL) Mid-Season Invitational 2019 play-in group stage, in GG Stadium, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam May 5, 2019. (Photo by Reuters/Kham)

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.

Mike “The Bedfordshire Bull Botteley” (left) takes on Chris “The General” Levy during a Chessboxing bout at the Scala nightclub on March 10, 2012 in London, England. A new hybrid sport combining chess and boxing in alternate 3 minute rounds, the winner is the one who knocks out or checkmates their opponent first. (Photo by Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images)

Revellers pose during the 24th Street Parade dance music event in Zurich, August 29, 2015. (Photo by Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters)

Anthony de Leon of Panama falls while competing in men's BMX freestyle during the XII South American Games in Asuncion, Paraguay, 08 October 2022. (Photo by Martin Crespo/EPA/EFE)

YouTube personality Jake Paul (L) fights former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, on December 18, 2021. (Photo by Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports)

An American soldier walks ahead of an MKIV (Mark IV) British-made tank, circa 1918. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Singer Whitney Houston performs onstage at the 2009 American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 22, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)