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.

Kevin Kvasnicka (L) and Jesse Gonzales openly carry firearms as they watch U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speak on a big screen television along East 4th street during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., July 21, 2016. (Photo by Adrees Latif/Reuters)

A policeman stands next to supporters of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta lying unconscious after being beaten by police when they tried to storm through gates to get in during Kenyatta's inauguration ceremony at Kasarani stadium in Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, November 28, 2017. Kenyatta is being sworn in on Tuesday, ending a months-long election drama that saw the first vote nullified by the country's top court and the second boycotted by the opposition. (Photo by Ben Curtis/AP Photo)

Canada's Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps perform in the gala exhibition during the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Beijing on December 10, 2023. (Photo by Wang Zhao/AFP Photo)

Lindsay Knutson plays in the heavy snow with her family dog, Aspen, and daughter Flora Bejblik, 4, cq, as her husband Bob Bejblik, rear left, shovels, Tuesday, March 5, 2013 in southwest Minneapolis. The National Weather Service predicted a two-day snow total of 8 to 12 inches for much of southeastern and east-central Minnesota, including the Twin Cities. (Photo by Elizabeth Flores/AP Photo/The Star Tribune)

Festivalgoers are seen at the Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, Sunday, April 16, 2023, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP Photo)

A newly born Sitatunga calf seen at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo on November 24, 2016 in Whipsnade, England. The swamp-dwelling species, also known as a marshbuck, is Africa's only true amphibious antelope. It was snuggled up in the leaves and almost perfectly camouflaged as it mother tended it. (Photo by Tony Margiocchi/Barcroft Images)

An attendee wears a MAGA necklace and shirt bearing the likeness of former president Donald Trump on the third night of the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in Milwaukee. (Photo by Joshua Lott/The Washington Post)