A model holds a dog presenting a creation by Anthony Rubio during New York Fashion Week, in New York City, U.S., September 13, 2025. (Photo by Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)

Actress Liv Tyler, 40, stripped in shots for the Triumph Essence's Autumn/Winter 2017 campaign in November, 2017. The Essence line is Triumph’s premium offering, with this season taking on the theme of “opulent Art Nouveau”, featuring designs in velvet embellished mesh, Leavers lace and silk satin. (Photo by Rankin/The Mega Agency)

Teacher Mahajera Armani and her class of girls pose for a picture at their study open area, founded by Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), outside Jalalabad city, Afghanistan September 19, 2015. (Photo by Reuters/Parwiz)

A boy with his bike is seen as rainbow appears after a rainfall in Edremit district of Van province in Turkey on July 08, 2020. (Photo by Ozkan Bilgin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Kindergartner Cameron McManus, 5, watches as a fellow student has his portrait made during “picture day” at Rogers International School on September 23, 2020 in Stamford, Connecticut. Students lined up outside to be photographed while socially distanced due to COVID-19 precautions. Most students at Stamford Public Schools are taking part in a hybrid education model, attending in-school classes every other day and distance learning the rest. (Photo by John Moore/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.

Part made cricket bats sit in a box at the Salix Cricket Bat Company in Langley, Britain July 6, 2015. Salix Cricket Bat Company use traditional tools and techniques to make cricket bats by hand. (Photo by Neil Hall/Reuters)

A woman offers a prayer at Pashupatinath Temple during the Teej festival in Kathmandu, Nepal September 4, 2016. During this festival, married Hindu women observe day-long fast and pray for a happy married life while those unmarried pray for a good husband. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)