A scorpion crawls out of the mouth of Thailand's Scorpion Queen and Ripley's Ambassador Kanchana Kaetkaew (also spelled Kanjana Ketkaew), at the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum in Pattaya city, Chonburi province, Thailand, 03 June 2017. (Photo by Diego Azubel/EPA)

A child poses on the runway during a party hosted by Chasing Fireflies to introduce Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Lovers children's collection at Duff's Cakemix on September 24, 2015 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Chasing Fireflies)

Two orphaned wallaby joeys enjoy a play date to help them boost their social skills in Australia early July 2023. The rescued joeys are being hand-raised at Aussie Ark in News South Wales. (Photo by Aussie Ark/Cover Images)

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.

Wang Zhengqing, a 74 year old pneumoconiosis patient, smokes his pipe at Yangjia Hospital in Wuyi County, Zhejiang Province, China October 19, 2015. Former miner Wang was diagnosed with the disease, which is caused by dust inhalation, when he was 24 and has lived at Yangjia Hospital for ten years. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

American Internet personality and model Cassie Amato – the girlfriend of actor Sam Claflin – sets the gold standard in a new campaign for Jacquie Aiche on July 6, 2023. The golden girl poses topless with only shimmering jewelry to save her modesty in a sеxy shoot for the latest collection from the LA-based jewelry brand. Cassie confirmed her relationship with Brit star Sam last year and was previously linked to Leonardo DiCaprio. (Photo by Jacquie Aiche/The Mega Agency)

Armed Syrian Turkmen villagers are seen near the northern Syrian village of Yamadi, near the Turkish-Syrian border, Syria, November 24, 2015. Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border on Tuesday saying it had repeatedly violated its air space, one of the most serious publicly acknowledged clashes between a NATO member country and Russia for half a century. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

Dance floor atmosphere at the Daily Front Row's Fashion Media Awards – After Party at The Wooly on September 8, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)