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.

Children pat an elephant at the mobile Diva circus in the town of Molodechno, some 70 kilometers northwest of Minsk on September 3, 2015. (Photo by Sergei Gapon/AFP Photo)

American actress Raquel Welch on a balcony overlooking a street in London, 1970. (Photo by Evening Standard). P.S. All pictures are presented in high resolution.

A caterpillar driven ferry with a 24 horsepower engine takes holidaymakers from the mainland at Bigbury in Devon to Burgh Island, a quarter of a mile away. (Photo by Reg Speller/Fox Photos/Getty Images). 4th April 1935

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (R) and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (L) visit Seppeltsfield Winery in Barossa Valley, Australia, 10 November 2015. The royal couple are on a 12-day tour visiting seven regions in New Zealand and three states and one territory in Australia. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/EPA)

Members of the Uniao da Ilha do Governador Samba School perform during the first day of the Special Group Samba Schools parade of Carnival at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 07 February 2016. (Photo by Luiz Eduardo Perez/EPA)

A US Marine leads two Viet Cong suspects in restraints during the Tet Offensive on February 20, 1967. (Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)

Braless festival style of a music fan during the third day of Lollapalooza Brazil Festival at Interlagos Racetrack on March 25, 2018 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Mauricio Santana/Getty Images)