Photographer of the year second place. “Girl with the Violin”. Location: Colorado, US. Shot on iPhone 13 Pro. United States. (Photo by Kelly Dallas/Courtesy of the artist and IPPAWARDS)

A picture taken on April 27, 2021, shows the electrical wires running between homes in the capital Baghdad's Murabaa neighbourhood. Between January and March alone, the interior ministry recorded 7,000 fires, the deadliest of which erupted on Sunday in a Covid-19 hospital in Baghdad. Eighty-two people died and 100 others were injured in the inferno, which sparked shock and outrage in the country. Baghdad, a sprawling metropolis of 10 million people, has the tragic distinction of being the Iraqi city hit by the most fires every year. (Photo by Sabah Arar/AFP Photo)

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.

Iraqi paramilitary troops fire towards Islamic State militants during a battle with Islamic State militants on the outskirts of the ancient city of Hatra near Mosul,Iraq April 26, 2017. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

A burning tank is in Daraa, on March 9, 2013. (Photo by Ali Abu-Salah/Reuters/Shaam News Network via The Atlantic)

Woman dons a mask a she prepares to dance in the streets during the feast of La Diablada, in Pillaro, Ecuador, Friday, January 4, 2019. The town of Pillaro kicks off the feast of the La Diablada with neighborhoods competing to bring as many people dressed as different characters. (Photo by Dolores Ochoa/AP Photo)

An alpaca chewing a leaf is pictured on November 18, 2014 in the zoo of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by Frank Rumpenhorst/AFP Photo/DPA)

Cats dressed as characters from the film Frozen wait to be judged during the costume contest at the New England Meow Outfit's 10th Annual Allbreed and Household Pet Cat Show in Natick, Massachusetts, on August 27, 2023. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso/AFP Photo)