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.

Bonbibi, Treehouse Point, Fall City, WA. The Bonbibi is balanced on two steel yokes. The yokes spread out the load and allow for tree growth and movement in the wind. A small deck hangs from the beams below and uses the treehouse itself to shelter guests. (Photo by Pete Nelson)

Aquarium visitors attend a dinner party in an underwater tunnel in Tianjin, China on September 15, 2016. Tianjin Haichang Polar Ocean World opened in the city of Tianjin, southeast of Beijing, in 2010. It gives visitors a chance to see more than 150 large animals from the Arctic and Antarctic regions, including polar bears. (Photo by Feature China/Barcroft Images)

Mario Huettenhofer, chief of the German company 3D Fab, presents his own face as 3d print during the international fairs FabCon 3.D and Rapid.Tech in Erfurt, Germany, Thursday, May 15, 2014. 130 exhibitors from all over the world present the entire world of 3D printing. The trade fairs are accompanied by specialist programs featuring 80 scientists, practitioners and trend analysts from ten countries, who will explain the latest findings, trends and applications for additive processes in industry and for 3D printing in the private sector to newcomers, experts and consumers alike. (Photo by Jens Meyer/AP Photo)

Spanish director Pedro Almodovar and actress Penelope Cruz chat before the start of the Spanish Film Academy's Goya Awards ceremony in Madrid, Spain, February 4, 2017. (Photo by Paul Hanna/Reuters)

A man dressed as the Sesame Street character Big Bird sits on a bench waiting to take pictures with people walking through Central Park in New York U.S., November 14, 2016. (Photo by Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

Participants from Newar community in traditional attire, dance during the Newari New Year parade that falls during the Tihar festival, also called Diwali, in Kathmandu, Nepal October 31, 2016. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

A roadside ice-cream vendor waits for customers at a market in New Delhi, India, April 7, 2016. The Indian economy is characterized by the existence of a vast majority of informal or unorganized labor employment. (Photo by Altaf Qadri/AP Photo)