A woman walks through flood water during heavy downpour at a street in Genoa, Italy, 10 October 2014. At least one person died due to flooding after heavy rains caused the Bisagno river, which runs through Genoa city to overflow. Part of the city was in black-out with flooded streets and parked cars dragged away by the water's force. (Photo by Luca Zennaro/EPA)

A guest poses against a video installation displayed at the Moncler catwalk show during Milan Fashion Week Spring 2019 in Milan, Italy, September 19, 2018. (Photo by Stefano Rellandini/Reuters)

Bella Hadid, Vittoria Ceretti and Gigi Hadid are seen backstage ahead of the Alberta Ferretti show during Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2018 on September 20, 2017 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by WWD/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

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.

Soldiers of the 70th division of the American 7th Army hold up a Nazi flag and a portrait of Adolf Hitler, taken during the World War II capture of Saarbrucken. (Photo by Horace Abrahams/Keystone/Getty Images). 22nd March 1945

“Red Land: Sunset Cloud Village is one of the most picturesque places in Red Land, China. As its name indicates, it's best to see before sunset. The reddish brown soil turns redder after rainfall and after farmers plow the land”. (Photo and comment by Peng Jiang/National Geographic Photo Contest via The Atlantic)

A model presents a creation by Versace during the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy on February 22, 2019. (Photo by Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters)

In this November 26, 2018 photo, men run during 100 meters athletics competition of the second edition of the Panamanian indigenous games in Piriati, Panama. These games were held in the Embera town of Piriati, some 55 miles (90 kilometers) east of Panama City. (Photo by Arnulfo Franco/AP Photo)