American actress and model Barbie Ferreira in the second decade of April 2025 pouts for a selfie. (Photo by barbieferreira/Instagram)

American television personality Stassi Schroeder visits The Empire State Building on April 23, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by John Nacion/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust)

American actress Dakota Johnson is seen in Tribeca on June 05, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Aeon/GC Images)

Belgian Fran Vanhoutte celebrates as she crosses the finish line at the finals of the women's 500m +D speed skating event, at the World Games 2025, in Chenghdu, China, on Thursday 14 August 2025. This year, the World Games take place from 7 to 17 August. (Photo by Rex Features/Shutterstock)

American actress and singer Victoria Justice in the last decade of October 2025 channels her devious side. (Photo by VictoriaJustice/Instagram)

American singer-songwriter Madonna shows off some bling while hitching a ride on November 26, 2025. (Photo by madonna/Instagram)

Colombia fans celebrate a goal during the World Cup Group C soccer match between Colombia and Greece, at a park in Bogota June 14, 2014. (Photo by John Vizcaino/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.