Period-costumed actors participate in the 150th anniversary re-enactment of the surrender of General Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. Grant at the Museum of Confederacy in Appomattox, Virginia, April 9, 2015. (Photo by Jay Paul/Reuters)

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.

“You” star, American actress Victoria Pedretti locks lips with American actor Fred Hechinger in New York City on February 26, 2024. (Photo by The Image Direct)

Actor Will Smith attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Columbia Pictures' “Bad Boys: Ride Or Die” at the TCL Chinese Theater on May 30, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Sony Pictures)

Harrison Ford attends the 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on February 23, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)

Actor Gal Gadot poses with her family during the unveiling ceremony for her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on March 18, 2025. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

Actor Candis Cayne performs at John Varvatos + OUT Support the Gay Men's Chorus of LA on September 29, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for John Varvatos)

Actors dressed as a “Yeti” attend a promotional event for Travel Channel's “Expedition Unknown: Hunt for the Yeti” in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., October 4, 2016. (Photo by Brendan McDermid/Reuters)