Fuse TV VJ's Marianela and Juliya attend the store opening of “Nigo's A Bathing Ape” with Pharrell Williams January 11, 2005 in New York City. (Photo by Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images)

Courtney Stodden attends the finale of “Celebs Go Dating” TV show filming at Dirty Martini in London, England on July 26, 2017. (Photo by Beretta/Sims/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A woman plays with a kitten inside of a line house in downtown Shanghai April 12, 2015. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)

Hundreds of volunteers stand at Goma International Airport receiving instructions before boarding a plane that will take them to a training center after responding to Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi's call to join the army to go to the front lines to fight against the M23 rebellion (March 23 Movement) in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, on November 14, 2022. (Photo by Guerchom Ndebo/AFP Photo)

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 very delicate person, beneath the flamboyance”. Jasper, Ladbroke Grove, 1977. “In the 1970s, Australia was rather cut off. I’d always wanted to live abroad, so I moved to Rome and then London. I was an art historian, but started studying photography part-time. I was interested in the demi-monde culture and began mixing in all sorts of circles. Jasper was a rather wonderful character...”. (Photo by Jane England)

Models promote a condom brand at the first Shenzhen s*x Culture Festival on September 21, 2007 in Shenzhen of Guangdong Province, China. The festival aims to increase awareness about reproductive health and popularise s*x education. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

An orange cat wears sunglasses and a jacket before taking part in an orange cat competition on July 02, 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand. Thailand's Cat Fanciers' Club hosted an orange cat competition during a Cat Expo at Bangkok's Central Westgate Mall. Over 70 cats were judged on fur color, health and friendliness. A one year old cat named Chuan Long, after the Chinese Kung Fu boxer, took home first prize. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)