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.

This August 28, 2017 photo shows eight-year-old Indian girl Bharti performing a balancing act on a rope during a street show in Batala, India. Travelling Indian performers, who earn a meagre income from putting on shows on the streets, often scout areas to gather a large street audience who then give money on a collection plate at the end of the show. (Photo by Narinder Nanu/AFP Photo)

A model falls over on the runway in a design by Victoria Bliss during the Project NextGen show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Resort 18 Collections at Carriageworks on May 16, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Images)

Canada's Marissa Papaconstantinou makes her way to the finish line after falling in the Women's 200m T44 Final during day ten of the IPC World ParaAthletics Championships 2017 at London Stadium on July 23, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Peter Cziborra/Reuters)

England fan celebrates on top of an ambulance after England' s win over Sweden in the Russia 2018 World Cup quarter- final football match, in London on July 7, 2018. (Photo by Henry Nicholls/Reuters)

In this September 5, 2012 file photo, people run for cover as smoke rises from the site of a fire at a fireworks factory on the outskirts of Sivakasi, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) southwest of Chennai, India. Police in southern India arrested six employees of the fireworks factory for a massive blaze that killed 40 workers and injured 60 others. (Photo by AP Photo/File). P.S. I didn't publish the photos which you already saw here (Avax).

Hindu women worship the Sun god Surya in the polluted waters of the river Yamuna during the Hindu religious festival of Chatt Puja in New Delhi October 30, 2014. Hindu women fast for the whole day for the betterment of their family and the society during the festival. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)

A member of the mainly Christian “anti-balaka” (anti-machete) militia trains in the Boeing neighbourhood of Bangui, Central African Republic, on February 24, 2014. (Photo by Fred Dufour/AFP Photo)