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.

Director Lars Von Trier attends the “Melancholia” photocall at the Palais des Festivals during the 64th Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2011 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

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.

Actress Marney McQueen attends the 2025 ARIA Awards at Hordern Pavilion at Hordern Pavilion on November 19, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Hanna Lassen/Getty Images)

Real Madrid's Brazilian striker Vinicius Jr. (R) held by a Cadiz's defender during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between Real ​Madrid and Cadiz, in Madrid, Spain, 10 November 2022. (Photo by Juanjo Martin/EPA/EFE)

“Cosplay, short for “costume play”, is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture centred around role play. A broader use of the term "cosplay" applies to any costumed role play in venues apart from the stage, regardless of the cultural context”. – Wikipedia. (Photo by Luffy Monkey D.)

Children watch and react as a T-Rex moves and growls in an inter-active display at Field Station Dinosaurs in Secaucus, N.J on May 25, 2012. There will be 31 types of life-sized dinosaurs displayed at the Jurassic expedition that opens Saturday, May 26. (Photo by Mel Evans/Associated Press)

A sniper of the French “Brigade d'Intervention” takes up his position at the top of the Arc de Triomphe during the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris on July 14, 2016. France holds annual Bastille Day military parade with troops from Australia and New Zealand as special guests among the 3,000 soldiers who will march up the Champs Elysees avenue. They will be accompanied by 200 vehicles with 85 aircraft flying overhead. (Photo by Stephane De Sakutin/AFP Photo)