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.

Astronauts Harrison Schmitt (left) and Eugene Andrew Cernan practice taking geological samples at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, in preparation for NASA's scheduled Apollo 17 lunar landing mission, on August 28, 1972. Schmitt is the Lunar Module Pilot and Cernan is the mission's Commander. They are training for their period of EVA (extravehicular activity) on the Moon. (Photo by Space Frontiers/Getty Images)

Two stags fight in a wildlife park in Aurach near Kitzbuehel, in the Austrian province of Tyrol. (Photo by Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press)

Miniature spring-wound 35-mm film camera in a modified cigarette pack. The Tessina’s small size and quiet operation provided more options for concealment than most commercially available models. (Photo by Central Intelligence Agency)

“The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon, center, exits the water during the Chicago Polar Plunge, Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Chicago. Fallon joined Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in the event. (Photo by Andrew A. Nelles/AP Photo)

A P-51 Mustang named “Charlotte's Chariot” from the Southern Heritage Air Foundation flies past a cloud of smoke and fire from a nearby battle reenactment during the Wings Over Houston Airshow in Houston, on Saturday, November 1, 2014. Battle reenactments are part of the yearly show held at Ellington Airport. (Photo by Kar Hlava/AP Photo/Bay Area Citizen)

A Pakistani farmer guides his bulls as he competes in a traditional bull race in Khunda village in the northwestern district of Attock, some 80 kilometers from Islamabad on January 3, 2015. Tens of thousands of people gather whenever there is a bull race held in Pakistan which are usually the highlight of festivals organized in rural areas of the Asian country, and attract lots of spectators due to their thrilling nature. The traditional competition attracts landlords and farmers from all around the province where the race is held, and they all bring their fastest and strongest bulls in hopes of gaining a reputation. (Photo by Aamir Qureshi/AFP Photo)

Fishermen prepare marlin and sailfish, destined for Jakarta, for auction at a fish market in Tegal, Central Java November 26, 2014 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. (Photo by Oky Lukmansyah/Reuters/Antara Foto)