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.

Pablo Holcer tests out a VR system made by Neurable that allows the user to control with their thoughts as the EEG headset interprets thoughts into actions in the VR environment at SIGGRAPH 2017 in Los Angeles, California, July 31, 2017. (Photo by Mike Blake/Reuters)

Wang Zhengqing, a 74 year old pneumoconiosis patient, smokes his pipe at Yangjia Hospital in Wuyi County, Zhejiang Province, China October 19, 2015. Former miner Wang was diagnosed with the disease, which is caused by dust inhalation, when he was 24 and has lived at Yangjia Hospital for ten years. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

The social media star Demi Rose, 23, posed for a sizzling new photoshoot to promote her new swimwear line in Ibiza, Spain on Thursday, June 21, 2018. (Photo by KP Pictures)

Dancers wait at backstage as they prepare for a dance performance during the Bali Arts Festival in Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, June 21, 2017. The resort island of Bali is holding a month-long annual Bali Arts Festival from June 10 to July 8. (Photo by Firdia Lisnawati/AP Photo)

Carlos Melendez prepares to feed his pet squirrel “Colita” in downtown San Salvador January 29, 2015. (Photo by Jose Cabezas/Reuters)

Businesswoman with skirt caught in underwear. Image shot 2008, exact date unknown. (Photo by Alamy Stock Photo)

A Palestinian protester runs past burning tyres amid clashes with Israeli security forces deploying during a raid in the old city of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, on December 30, 2022. (Photo by Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP Photo)