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.

Fireworks explode over the Kremlin in Red Square which was blocked by police during New Year celebrations in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, January 1, 2017. New Year's Eve is Russia's major gift-giving holiday, and big Russian cities were awash in festive lights and decorations. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr./AP Photo)

A competitor walks on tightrope during a performance in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, China, May 7, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

A picture taken on July 14, 2014 from a Boeing C135 refueling tanker shows two French Rafale fighter planes, flying over the French capital during the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees in Paris. France has issued an unprecedented invitation to all 72 countries involved in World War I to take part in its annual Bastille Day military parade. (Photo by Franck Pennant/AFP Photo)

Reflected in an ornament, a reporter takes a photo of the White House Christmas Tree in the Blue Room during a media preview of the holiday decor at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 29, 2016. (Photo by Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

English actor Emma D’Arcy, English film and television director of Argentine origin, and former storyboard artist Miguel Sapochnik, and Australian actress Milly Alcock pose with the award for Best Television Series in Drama for “House of the Dragon” at the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., January 10, 2023. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

Baloo (R), a North American Black Bear, rubs snouts with his companion Shere Hkhan, a Bengal tiger, inside their shared enclosure at Noah's Ark animal sanctuary in Locust Grove, Georgia, USA, 28 August 2014. According to the facility, the pair and a lion named Leo, were confiscated at a young age from a drug dealer's basement in Atlanta, Georgia. Noah's Ark cares for about 100 different species of animals on a 250 acre farm since 1990. (Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA)