Seehund “Bruno” looks out of his transport box before making his way to the water on the beach of the island of Juist, Germany on August 14, 2013. Four young seals were released after six weeks of recovery at a rescue station in Norden-Norddeich. (Photo by Carmen Jaspersen/AFP Photo/DPA)

A group of scantily-clad women pose for photographs at the annual Venus erotic trade fair in Berlin, Germany on 12 October 2017. Venus Berlin is among the largest international erotic trade fairs, with more then 250 exhibitions from 40 countries and 30,000 visitors. (Photo by Alamy Live News)

German car manufacturer BMW presents the “Vision Next 100” concept car during the 100th anniversary celebrations in Munich, Germany, Monday, March 7, 2016. (Photo by Matthias Schrader/AP Photo)

A soldier from the South Korean army special forces breaks stone plates with her head during a martial arts demonstration for Memorial Day at Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, June 6, 2016.(Photo by Ahn Young-joon/AP Photo)

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 Muslim woman reads the Quran following noon prayers on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, June 6, 2016. Devout Muslims began to celebrate Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, refraining from eating, drinking, smoking and sеx from sunrise to sunset. (Photo by Tatan Syuflana/AP Photo)

French artist Christophe Guinet, also known as “Mr Plant”, works on his plant shoe creation “Wood”, part of the artistic project “Just Grow It”, in his art gallery in Marseille, November 25, 2014. Guinet transforms name-brand Nike sneakers, cult footwear for urban youth, into vegetable compositions, creating a collection of artwork with trainers modified with tree bark, foam and flowers. (Photo by Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters)

Police spraying protesters with pepper spray inside Central Station after a Black Lives Matter rally in Sydney, Australia, 06 June 2020, a protest against the deaths of Aboriginal people in custody and solidarity with the US protests for George Floyd. (Photo by James Gourley/EPA/EFE)