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 tractor trailer drives through flash flood waters that overran Skunk Creek, Tuesday, August 19, 2014, in northwestern Phoenix. Flooding from heavy rain in the Phoenix area has forced authorities to close several major roads, including a portion of Interstate 17 about 25 miles north of the city. (Photo by Matt York/AP Photo)

Fashionistas pose for photographs in front of a homeless man outside Moynihan Station following a showing of the Rag & Bone Spring/Summer 2013 collection during New York Fashion Week in this September 7, 2012 file photo. (Photo by Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

The 21-year-old UK Love Island’s star Rebecca Gormley stunned in a plunging crop top during a shopping trip in Newcastle, England on March 23, 2020. (Photo by Backgrid UK)

Model present creations by Emilia Wickstead for Matchesfashion.com during Australian Fashion Week, May 15, 2018. (Photo by Edgar Su/Reuters)

The pedestrian zone on the banks of the “Parco della Pace” at Lake Maggiore is flooded due to flooding, on Thursday, October 24, 2019 in Locarno, Switzerland. (Photo by Samuel Golay/Ti-Press/Keystoen)

Indian actress Priyanka Chopra and American actress Jessica Chastain at Kering's 3rd Annual Caring For Women Dinner at The Pool on September 09, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Nancy Rivera/Splash News and Pictures)

This photograph taken during a government organised media tour shows College of Science graduates from Tibet University celebrating their graduation at the Potala Palace Square in the regional capital Lhasa, in China's Tibet Autonomous Region, on June 1, 2021. (Photo by Hector Retamal/AFP Photo)