Palestinian men perform fire breathing on the beach as an entertainment for children during the summer vacation in Gaza City on August 1, 2019. (Photo by Mohammed Abed/AFP Photo)

Andrea Rossato, Italy. Professional; Candid. Children enjoy the simple pleasures of a seaside holiday. (Photo by Andrea Rossato/Sony World Photography Awards)

A woman poses for a photograph in front of a 3D painting at HK 3D Museum in Hong Kong June 26, 2014. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Japanese football fan during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E match between Japan and Costa Rica at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on November 27, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Dylan Martinez/Reuters)

England fans react as their team scores during the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Semi Final match between England and Australia, at Boxpark Wembley on August 16, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Mount Etna erupts in Sicily, Italy on February 21, 2021 sending plumes of ash and spewing lava into air. There was a major increase in volcanic activity that led to a paroxysmal event at the Southeast crater for the fourth time in the past six days. (Photo by Wead/Alamy Live News)

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.