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.

Antonio Banderas attends the photocall for “Pain And Glory (Dolor Y Gloria/Douleur Et Glorie)” during the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2019 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

A woman squeezes between two public buses in downtown Lima, March 17, 2014. Bogota and two other Latin American capitals – Mexico City, and Lima in Peru – were named as the three capitals with the least safe transport systems for women in the Thomson Reuters Foundation poll of more than 6,550 women and gender and city planning experts. Women in Latin America say they face a wide range of daily threats on public transport, and not enough is done to ensure their safety. (Photo by Enrique Castro-Mendivil/Reuters)

An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man uses a stick to to separate the wheat grains in the Ultra-orthodox moshav of Komemiyut May 3, 2016. The harvested wheat will later be used to make the traditional unleavened bread eaten during the Jewish holiday of Passover. (Photo by Amir Cohen/Reuters)

Shoko Ota of Japan celebrates winning the Women's Standing 10km Individual Cross Country during day one of the Winter Games NZ at Snow Farm on August 13, 2011 in Wanaka, New Zealand. (Photo by Camilla Stoddart/Getty Images)

A devotee participates in Holi celebrations at the Nandagram temple, on March 22, 2013. (Photo by Manish Swarup/Associated Press)

American socialite Kylie Jenner in the second decade of November 2023 flaunts her assets in an Alo sports bra. (Photo by kyliejenner/Instagram)

Runners compete in the women's 300-meter steeplechase finals during the U.S. Championships athletics meet in Eugene, Ore.,Saturday, August 2, 2025. (Photo by Ashley Landis/AP Photo)