A life-size sculpture of a pianist, made of approximately 210,000 matches and weighs around 100 kilograms, is seen in Tomislav Horvat's studio in Podturen, Croatia, October 27, 2016. For the last ten years, Horvat has built sculptures made from matches. This is his biggest sculpture to date that took him some 30 months to build. (Photo by Antonio Bronic/Reuters)

Period-costumed actors participate in the 150th anniversary re-enactment of the surrender of General Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. Grant at the Museum of Confederacy in Appomattox, Virginia, April 9, 2015. (Photo by Jay Paul/Reuters)

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.

Actor Candis Cayne performs at John Varvatos + OUT Support the Gay Men's Chorus of LA on September 29, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for John Varvatos)

Actors dressed as a “Yeti” attend a promotional event for Travel Channel's “Expedition Unknown: Hunt for the Yeti” in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., October 4, 2016. (Photo by Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

Actors wrapped in blankets react at the set of the post-apocalyptic movie “Zombie Era” at an abandoned factory complex in Langfang, Hebei province, China December 16, 2016. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

Star of Cabaret, English actor Eddie Redmayne attends The Olivier Awards 2022 with MasterCard at the Royal Albert Hall on April 10, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by David Levene/The Guardian)

Actor Bella Thorne (L) and model Amber Rose at the NYLON Young Hollywood Party at AVENUE Los Angeles on May 2, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for NYLON)