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 Bedouin rifleman hides behind his camel while he carefully takes aim in the Sahara desert. (Photo by Three Lions/Getty Images). Circa 1955

Mohammad, a 13-year-old fighter from the “Free Syrian Army”, plays with a cat in Aleppo's Bustan al-Basha district, Syria October 28, 2013. Mohammad joined the Free Syrian Army after his father died during clashes with the Syrian regime. The gun he is using was his father's. (Photo by Molhem Barakat/Reuters)

In this January 6, 2017 photo, transgender inmates get a security check from female officers before entering their cell at Pattaya Remand Prison in Pattaya, Chonburi province, Thailand. The prison separates lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender prisoners from other inmates, a little-known policy despite being in place nationwide since 1993, according to the Department of Corrections. (Photo by Sakchai Lalit/AP Photo)

A youth in costume hurries past a mural after dancing at the Sun Festival in Cotacachi, Ecuador, Sunday, June 24, 2018. Across the Andes, from the tip of Argentina as far north as Colombia, indigenous communities are gathering for the southern hemisphere's winter solstice to honor the ancient sun god. (Photo by Dolores Ochoa/AP Photo)

Beda Haemmerli drives his 1936 Ford Indy race car (front) through a steep turn during the Indianapolis in Oerlikon race demonstration at the Offene Rennbahn cycling track in Zurich's Oerlikon suburb, Switzerland July 24, 2018. (Photo by Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters)

Two brave contestants take part in the World Gravy Wrestling Championships at the Rose 'n Bowl in Stacksteads, Lancashire, England on August 27 2018. Contestants must wrestle in the gravy for 2 minutes, points are scored for fancy dress, comedy effect, entertainment and wrestling ability. The event is held to raise funds for the East Lancashire Hospice and competitors nominated charities. (Photo by The Mercury Press)

Siberian Husky dogs of the Royev Ruchey Park team pull a rig during a practice session for the Karadag Sled Dog Rally on the frozen Mana River, with the air temperature at about minus 21 degrees Celsius (minus 5.8 degrees Fahrenheit), in the Siberian Taiga area outside Krasnoyarsk, Russia February 6, 2018. (Photo by Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)