Close Encounter of the Insect Kind: “Check out the awesome face on this praying mantis. I can't get over the mouth, it's like something from a science fiction movie. Of all photographic styles macro is definitely my favorite. I am constantly amazed, in every photo that I take, by the intricate level of detail that exists on even the smallest of creatures. It's a stark reminder that a very complex and infinitely beautiful world exists just beyond our human-sized level of perception. Photo taken in Donnybrook, Queensland, Australia” – Andrew Young. (Photo by Andrew Young/National Geographic Photo Contest via The Atlantic)

English-Albanian singer and songwriter Dua Lipa on December 31, 2022. The “One Kiss” singer went full Y2K to usher in 2023, wearing a crystal mesh Ludovic de Saint Sernin dress with a back so low, Lipa’s white thong played peekaboo. (Photo by dualipa/Instagram)

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.

In an aerial view, a flooded section of farmland is seen next to a home in Cadiz, Kentucky, U.S. April 18, 2025. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Reuters)

Cristiano Ronaldo's fiancee Georgina Rodriguez in the second decade of August 2025 took social media by storm. (Photo by Instagram)

Italian television presenter Diletta Leotta stunned in a bold black dress in the first decade of November 2025. (Photo by @DilettaLeotta/Instagram)

American actress Alexandra Daddario goes skinny dipping on vacation in the last decade of December 2022. (Photo by alexandradaddario/Instagram)

American actress, dancer and singer Jennifer Lopez strips down to her underwear as she prepares to film a new advertising campaign for luxury Italian lingerie firm “Intimissimi” in the last decade of July 2023. (Photo by Intimissimi/TNI Press)