French fashion model Cindy Bruna walks the runway of the Julien x Gabriela AW23 show during London Fashion Week at Freemasons Hall on February 19, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images for Julien MacDonald)

People walk through Ginza’s shopping district in Tokyo, Japan, 15 December 2025. Japan’s economic focus is on the upcoming Bank of Japan (BOJ) meeting where the central bank is expected to raise its policy rate to combat inflation. The BOJ signaled a rate hike bar is cleared with the wage momentum still intact. (Photo by Franck Robichon/EPA)

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.

American singer Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, known professionally as Halsey wears eye-catching makeup to celebrate AF 94 in the last decade of July 2022. (Photo by iamhalsey/Instagram)

Canadian actress Nina Dobrev kicks her leg up at Burning Man in the first decade of September 2022. (Photo by nina/Instagram)

A man wearing a headgear walks along with his child on a street in Banda Aceh on July 25, 2023. (Photo by Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP Photo)

English-Albanian singer and songwriter Dua Lipa shows off her end-of-summer body in the last decade of August 2023. (Photo by dualipa/Instagram)

English TV personality Chloe Burrows attends the National Television Awards 2023 at The O2 Arena on September 05, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by David Fisher/Rex Features/Shutterstock)