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.

Members of the Russian Red Army Choir perform at Water Front Theatre in Beirut September 13, 2014. (Photo by Jamal Saidi/Reuters)

Dhruva Aliman does a back somersault as he dismounts from a slackline on the beach at Santa Monica, California on October 19, 2014. Slackline is a balance sport where a line of webbing is adjusted at different levels of tension between two anchor points and participants (called slackers) perform tricks and stunts including somersaults. (Photo by Mark Ralston/AFP Photo)

Thomas jumps into the water from a spring board at a public swimming pool in Mengen, Germany, 28 August 2016. (Photo by Thomas Warnack/EPA)

A rider holds on as a bull tries to throw him during the Bull Ride Spectacular on the first day of the 2014 Deni Ute Muster at the Play on the Plains Festival grounds on October 3, 2014 in Deniliquin, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Competitors take part in the 8th annual World Gravy Wrestling Championships at the Rose n Bowl Pub in Bacup, north west England on August 31, 2015. Contestants must participate in fancy dress and wrestle in a pool of Lancashire Gravy for 2 minutes whilst being scored for a variety of wrestling moves. (Photo by Oli Scarff/AFP Photo)

A cyclist climbs over a tree fallen atop a car after a heavy storm in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, July 25, 2015. One person was killed as the most severe July storm ever recorded in the Netherlands swept across the country on Saturday, delaying flights and disrupting road and rail traffic. Dozens of flights were delayed at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport and authorities warned travellers not to take to the road as gale-force winds and rain lashed the country, prompting the meteorological service to issue a “Code Red” warning. (Photo by Cris Toala Olivares/Reuters)

A model displays henna tattoo designs on her hands during a Henna tattoo competition in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, 07 November 2023. (Photo by Hotli Simanjuntak/EPA/EFE)