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.

A security man keeps guard during Malawi's President elect Arthur Peter Mutharika swearing in ceremony at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre on May 28, 2019, after a contentious election marred by allegations of fraud and vote-rigging. The Malawi Electoral Commission announced on Monday that Mutharika, who heads the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), had narrowly won last week's vote after an injunction barring the release of the results was lifted. (Photo by Amos Gumulira/AFP Photo)

Pakistani Christian Maria Akbar, 15, checks herself in the mirror, after having her make up done by hairdresser Razia Rehmat, 39, in preparation for Christmas holiday, at a hair salon, in a slum that hosts Christian families, on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, December 24, 2014. (Photo by Muhammed Muheisen/AP Photo)

This photo taken on October 20, 2018 shows tourists posing for a photo on a middle of a railway track passing through an old residential district in central Hanoi. (Photo by Nhac Nguyen/AFP Photo)

A woman shouting into a megaphone during a “Kill the Bill” protest in Manchester City Centre on April 3, 2021 in Manchester, United Kingdom. Protests around the United Kingdom have been held in opposition to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. The proposed legislation, which would apply to England and Wales, covers a wide range of issues and would broaden the police's authority for regulating protests. (Photo by Mercury Press and Media)

It doesn’t make for the most flattering photoshoot, but there is a reason these zebras at Lewa wildlife conservancy in Kenya in the second decade of August 2025 are stood head to tail: they use their tails to swat flies from each others’ faces. (Photo by Andrew Campbell/Solent News & Photo Agency)

Body builders preparing at the backstage during the Bodybuilding Cup in Kiev, Ukraine on November 7, 2015 which includes classic bodybuilding, physicist and body fitness and bikini in the competition. (Photo by Nazar Furyk/Pacific Press)

Several hundred swimmers took a sunrise dip in the North Sea at Portobello Beach, for the International Women’s Day Swimrise on March 08, 2022 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Women from all backgrounds, abilities and ages come together in aid of Edinburgh Women’s Aid, Edinburgh Rape Crisis and Held in Our Hearts. (Photo by Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images)