A woman looks on as she takes part in a protest on the Day of the Dead against gender violence and femicide, in Mexico City, Mexico, November 2, 2020. (Photo by Raquel Cunha/Reuters)

Women wearing traditional dresses dance next to Cathedral–Mosque of Cordoba, Andalusia, Spain, 26 May 2021, to celebrate the Cordoba Fair that was suspended due to coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic for a second consecutive year. The Cordoba Fair is held every year in May for a week during which flamenco, food, and wine are the main attractions for thousands of people. (Photo by Salas/EPA/EFE)

The digital art piece “Visor” by Mad Dog Jones is pictured ahead of an auction at Sotheby’s in London, United Kingdom on June 1, 2021. (Photo by Mad Dog Jones/Reuters)

A person waving the rainbow flag runs on the pitch as the players line up for the national anthems the UEFA EURO 2020 Group F football match between Germany and Hungary at the Allianz Arena in Munich on June 23, 2021. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Pool via AFP Photo)

Performers entertain passengers at London Heathrow Airport's T3 on Monday, November 8, 2021, as the US reopens its borders to UK visitors in a significant boost to the travel sector. Thousands of travellers are jetting off on transatlantic flights for long-awaited reunions with family and friends. (Photo by Steve Parsons/PA Images via Getty Images)

Adventurer Sam Cossman movies towards the huge lava lake wearing a custom built industrial proximity heat suit on December 20, 2014 in Ambrym, Vanuatu. (Photo by Conor Toumarkine/Barcroft Media)

A spring breaker takes a shot of tequila during a pool party at a hotel in Cancun March 8, 2015. Like previous Florida spring break hot spots Fort Lauderdale and Daytona Beach, Panama City Beach is facing a crisis of conscience over the trade-offs involved in hosting a binge for some 300,000 students who arrive through mid-April with coolers, beer funnels and credit cards. (Photo by Michael Spooneybarger/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.