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.

Britain Football Soccer, Burnley vs Swansea City, Premier League, Turf Moor on August 13, 2016. Burnley fan with face paint outside the stadium before the match. (Photo by Ed Sykes/Reuters/Action Images/Livepic)

Mark Dill and Brit Thacker practice acro-yoga as approximately 70,000 people from all over the world gather for the 30th annual Burning Man arts and music festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, U.S. August 29, 2016. (Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters)

Kerry Katona carries Peter McDonagh's flag before he faces Peter Krame during their Super welterweight bout at the Bolton Whites Hotel, Bolton, United Kingdom on May 12, 2018. (Photo by Lee Smith/Action Images via Reuters)

Singer Ariana Grande performs during the funeral service for Aretha Franklin at Greater Grace Temple, Friday, August 31, 2018, in Detroit. Franklin died August 16, 2018 of pancreatic cancer at the age of 76. (Photo by Mike Segar/Reuters)

English actress Kate Beckinsale attends the GQ Men of the Year Awards at Tate Modern on September 5, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

Revelers participate in J'Ouvert, an overnight celebration the night before the West Indies Day Parade in Brooklyn, NY on September 3, 2018. Violence in past years led NYPD to shut down the parade route until 2am. (Photo by Stephen Yang)

Ghoulish Brits took the streets on on Saturday, October 27, 2018 with fake blood as they celebrated Halloween a few days early. It's all fun and games on the streets of Blackpool, England durind Halloween night on Saturday, October 27, 2018. (Photo by NB Press LTD)