A kid wearing rollerblades hitches a ride via motorbike, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday, October 25, 2015. The country held the first-round presidential vote Sunday. Haitians chose between 54 presidential hopefuls and a slew of legislative and municipal candidates. (Photo by Ricardo Arduengo/AP Photo)

A blooming cherry tree is seen along the Tidal Basin on Sunday March 20, 2022 in Washington, DC. As Covid-19 precautions begin to lift around the country large crowds are able to once again descend upon the region for the blossoming cherry trees. (Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

imena Dominguez of Venezuela competes with the ball in the rhythmic gymnastics on day one of Sky Grace Cup Internationa Rhythmic Gymnastics Tournament at Beijing Shougang Ice Hockey Stadium on November 12, 2025 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

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.

A man dressed as a Santa Claus poses at the front of the Kollhoff Tower at Potsdamer Platz square in Berlin December 14, 2014. (Photo by Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)

Images are projected onto the Empire State Building as part of an endangered species projection to raise awareness, in New York August 1, 2015. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Jean Pierre Augustin falls out of the ring after being hit by Chris Arreola during a Premier Boxing Champions Heavyweight Bout at AT&T Stadium on March 16, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

A member of the Gumatj clan performs a ceremonial welcome during the Garma Festival at the Gulkula ceremonial in the Gove Peninsula of the Northern Territory, Australia 03 August 2024. The Garma Festival is Australia’s largest Indigenous gathering, a 4-day celebration of Yolngu life and culture held in remote northeast Arnhem Land. (Photo by Mick Tsikas/EPA)