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.

Spanish bullfighter Julian Lopez “El Juli” adjusts his montera (bullfighter's hat) before starting a bullfight at the Malagueta bullring in Malaga, southern Spain, April 4, 2015. (Photo by Jon Nazca/Reuters)

A South Sudanese model applies make-up during the Festival of Fashion and Arts for Peace in Juba August 9, 2014. (Photo by Andreea Campeanu/Reuters)

A model presents a creation from the Liu Bolin Debut collection during New York Fashion Week in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., September 10, 2017. (Photo by Amr Alfiky/Reuters)

Thousands of species of amphibians are endangered and hundreds have already disappeared, but in recent years, a team of scientists and conservationists have re-discovered some of these “lost” species and uncovered previously unknown varieties. Here: Miniature glass frog. (Photo by Robin Moore)

Rowan Atkinson attends the UK premiere of Johnny English Reborn at The Empire Leicester Square on October 2, 2011 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

Two women react to the camera as Nightclub Circus hosts the first dance event, which will welcome 6,000 clubbers to the city's Bramley-Moore Dock warehouse on April 30, 2021 in Liverpool, England. The event is part of the national Events Research Programme which will provide data on how events could be permitted to safely reopen. (Photo by Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)

Tank crew standing in front of M-4 tank, Ft. Knox, Kentucky, June, 1942. (Alfred Palmer/OWI/LOC)