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.

Only after World War II did the secret spill: Ōkunoshima, located in the Inland Sea of Japan between Hiroshima and Shikoku, was the top-secret site for manufacturing chemical warfare. When the factories were closed down, a number of exotic wild rabbits were seen freely roaming the island. They were assumed to have been the test subjects for the chemical weapons, which the military failed to eradicate when the factory was demolished.

Revelers celebrate the Indian festival of Holi on a boat cruise around part of Manhattan on March 17, 2012 in New York City. During the Hindu festival of Holi, also known as the Festival of Colors, which marks the arrival of spring, participants throw colored powder and water on one another. Many of the New York participants are Indian-American. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

A dead sperm whale is seen on the beach on March 18, 2012 in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province of China. Four giant sperm whales, which were found beached on the beach of Xintan Salt Field on Friday, died on Saturday despite rescue efforts. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress)

Men dressed as traditional Greek warriors participate in the annual Greek Independence Day Parade on Fifth Avenue on March 25, 2012 in New York City. It was the 191st annual parade which ran from 64th Street to 79th Street on Fifth Avenue and celebrates Greek heritage. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)