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.

A visitors to the National Galleries of Scotland view the work “A girl” of sculptor Ron Mueck on August 4, 2006 Edinburgh in Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Palestinian female Hamas security officers demonstrate their skills during a graduation ceremony in the northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, April 2, 2014. 1200 officers graduated from advanced training courses that lasted one year in Gaza police academy of Hamas. (Photo by Adel Hana/AP Photo)

A visitor stands in the exhibition “I Am A Drop In The Ocean” dedicated to the artistic and visual expressions of the protests that shook the Ukraine from November 2013 until February 2014 at the Kuenstlerhaus gallery in Vienna, Austria, Thursday, April 10, 2014. The exhibition opens its doors from April 11 until May 23, 2014. (Photo by Ronald Zak/AP Photo)

A Sikh warrior, wearing a huge turban attends the annual fair of “Hola Mohalla” in Anandpur Sahib, in the northern Indian state of Punjab, Monday, March 17, 2014. Believers from various parts of northern India collect at the religious fair to celebrate the festival of Holi in a tradition set by the tenth Sikh guru Guru Gobind Singh in the seventeenth century. Nihangs, or Sikh warriors, display their martial skills and attire during the fair, believed to be maintained in the exact tradition as set by the Guru. (Photo by Altaf Qadri/AP Photo)

Soccer player David Beckham (C) with Cruz Beckham (L) and Romeo Beckham (R) get slimed onstage during Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports Awards 2014 at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion on July 17, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Te Matatini Kapa Haka Aotearoa perform the Haka at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on the Royal Mile on August 14, 2014 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The largest performing arts festival in the world, this years festival hosts more than 3,000 shows in nearly 300 venues across the city. (Photo by Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images)

The legs of camel and sheep for the “Living Nativity” scene, and Rockettes, of the “Radio City Christmas Special”, are juxtaposed as they pose for photos outside New York's Radio City Music Hall, Tuesday, October 28, 2014. The show is scheduled to open Friday, November 7, 2014 and continue through Wednesday, December 31, 2014. The “Living Nativity” has been part of the Christmas Spectacular since its inception in 1933. (Photo by Richard Drew/AP Photo)