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.

Waura Indians wrestle during this year's “quarup”, a ritual held over several days to honour in death a person of great importance to them, in Xingu National Park, Mato Grosso State, Brazil August 25, 2013. (Photo by Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)

A couple pours water on their dogs during a hot day, in Rome, Thursday, August 12, 2021. In Italy, 15 cities received warnings from the health ministry about high temperatures and humidity with peaks predicted for Friday. The cities included Rome, Florence and Palermo, but also Bolzano, which is usually a refreshing hot-weather escape in the Alps. (Photo by Andrew Medichini/AP Photo)

Yuri Gagarin does not always show up in full-scale astronautics. In this picture he smiles during his summer vacation in Sochi, Russia in 1961 with sunglasses and sunhat in the camera. (Photo by Imago/Eastnews)

Fabian Ramirez, 11, scavenges a trash container for vegetables with his family that were discarded at the “Mercado de Abasto”, a market for vendors, during the fourth week of a quarantine to help contain the spread of the new coronavirus in Asuncion, Paraguay, Thursday, April 2, 2020. (Photo by Jorge Saenz/AP Photo)

This photo taken on March 5, 2023 show fighters competing in a bout during a traditional Myanmar boxing Lethwei tournament at Pyi Thar Lin Aye pagoda in Hlaingbwe township in Karen state. The spectacle of almost-no-holds-barred traditional Myanmar boxing known as Lethwei, considered one of the most aggressive combat sports in the world – with fighters eschewing boxing gloves for thin gauze bandages wrapped around hardened knuckles – draws huge crowds in the eastern border state of Karen. (Photo by AFP Photo/Stringer)

Two revelers dressed as toy soldiers gesture toward a police officer in a patrol car during the traditional carnival parade in Wuerzburg, Germany, 15 February 2015. Under the motto “Carnival Parade is cool” about 160 groups with over 3,000 members took part in one of the biggest carnival parades in southern Germany. (Photo by Daniel Karmann/EPA)

Humanoid robot bartender “Carl” interacts with guests at the Robots Bar and Lounge in the eastern German town of Ilmenau, July 26, 2013. “Carl”, developed and built by mechatronics engineer Ben Schaefer who runs a company for humanoid robots, prepares spirits for the mixing of cocktails and is able to interact with customers in small conversations. (Photo by Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)