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.

Actress and model Charlotte McKinney attends the grand opening of NightSwim at Encore Beach Club at Wynn Las Vegas on May 5, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Wynn Las Vegas)

Team Strong Silvers member Ngai Hin Kwok, 66, works out as teammate Ng Siu Chi, 57, watches at a stadium in Singapore March 15, 2015. Team Strong Silvers, is a group of senior citizens who train in calisthenics. The trio trains individually at least three times a week, and meets up for joint calisthenics at least twice a month. (Photo by Edgar Su/Reuters)

Model Ashley Graham is seen walking in Soho on May 9, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)

A man walks along an El Paso road while observing a large ash column from the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Canary Island of La Palma, Spain, October 4, 2021. (Photo by Borja Suarez/Reuters)

A girl watches as Saen Dao, an eight-year-old female asian elephant, and her mahout perform underwater during a show at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi south of Bangkok on June 1, 2017. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/AFP Photo)

A sifaka lemur eats leaves at the Berenty Reserve in Toliara province, Madagascar, February 15, 2022. (Photo by Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters)

A participant of the “Mrs Universe 2015” contest from Caribbean Coast, Mayra Joli poses for a photo with a woman during their visit in central botanical garden in Minsk, Belarus, August 25, 2015. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)