Alexis Ren seen at Focus Features Los Angeles Special Screening of “Nocturnal Animals” at Hammer Museum on Friday, November 11, 2016, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Focus Features/AP Images)

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.

Danila Shmelev, an artist from Moscow, Russia, works on a 3-D picture in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, February 27, 2017. Artists who focus on 3-D pictures have gathered in Dubai for the Dubai Canvas 3-D Art Festival, which runs from March 1 through March 7. (Photo by Jon Gambrell/AP Photo)

Actress Lily Collins is seen filming on set of series 2 of “Emily In Paris” on May 4, 2021 in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France. (Photo by Arnold Jerocki/GC Images)

Swedish model Kelly Gale shows off stunning figure in animal print swimsuit in the second decade of April 2022. The catwalk star, 26, posed in a beachwear shoot for Victoria’s Secret Swim. (Photo by Victoria's Secret Capture Media Agency)

Kylie Jenner on November 13, 2022 shared a photo dump of her recent trip to New York. The reality star showed off her long legs in mini dress. (Photo by kyliejenner/Instagram)

Kung Fu master Li Liangui practices “Suogugong” Kung Fu and his wife Liang Xiaoyan (R) practices Qigong at a park in Beijing, China, June 30, 2016. For 50 years, kung fu master Li Liangui has been contorting his body into eye-watering positions while practising one of the more unusual and less popular Chinese martial art forms. The 70-year-old is an expert in suogugong, or body shrinking kung fu, where practitioners dislocate their bones to help them achieve unlikely positions and feats. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

Canadian actor Percy Hynes White and American actress Jenna Ortega at the 80th Golden Globes After Party Powered By Billboard held at The Beverly Hilton on January 10, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images)