A man walks past kelp as he goes for a swim in the Pacific Ocean at La Jolla Shores, Thursday, July 24, 2025, in San Diego. (Photo by Gregory Bull/AP Photo)

Actors Patrick Brammall and Anne Hathaway seen on the set of “The Devil Wears Prada 2” in Brooklyn on August 05, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Aeon/GC Images)

The iconic Otley Run starts at Woodies pub in Far Headingly and finishes at The Dry Dock at the edge of Leeds, UK city centre on August 24, 2025. Hundreds of rowdy drinkers take to the streets this weekend. (Photo by NB Press LTD)

Soldiers ask a tourist to evacuate Mirador beach ahead of Hurricane Beryl's expected arrival in Tulum, Mexico, July 4, 2024. (Photo by Fernando Llano/AP Photo)

American actress and singer Rachel Zegler sings “Don't Cry For Me Argentina” from the balcony of the London Palladium on June 17, 2025. The show sees Rachel come out onto the balcony to sing to the audience below, and by the third night of the show's limited run the streets have already had to be cordoned off with extra security brought in because the crowds are so big. (Photo by Raphael Pour-Hashemi/The Mega Agency)

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.

Colombia fans celebrate a goal during the World Cup Group C soccer match between Colombia and Greece, at a park in Bogota June 14, 2014. (Photo by John Vizcaino/Reuters)

A woman dressed up for Halloween travels on a Metro train in São Paulo, Brazil on October 30, 2017. (Photo by Cris Faga/Rex Features/Shutterstock)