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.

American actress Anne Hathaway is seen at a film set for the AppleTV+ series, “WeCrashed” on June 11, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Pacific Coast News)

American media personality Kim Kardashian and her mom Kris Jenner have debuted totally different looks in a new photoshoot in the last decade of June 2025. Kim, 44, shows off her curves for the pictures, which reveal her new Skims collaboration with Italian fashion brand Roberto Cavalli. (Photo by Instagram)

Canadian singer-songwriter Shania Twain poses for a selfie as she attends the 2022 People's Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California, U.S. December 6, 2022. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

Palestinians react at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip on October 24, 2023. (Photo by Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters)

King Abdullah of Jordan and Queen Rania who holds Princess Salma in her arms, pose for a portrait November 20, 2000 in Amman, Jordan

A British couple drink hot chocolate at Chillout cafe in Dubai May 12, 2013. Chillout, owned by UAE's Sharaf Group, is the first ice lounge in the Middle East, with temperatures set at –6 degrees Celsius (21 degrees Farenheit). The cafe, with its illuminated interiors, curtains, paintings and seating arrangements, is all made of carved ice and frozen sculptures. (Photo by Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters)

Amal Clooney attends the “Money Monster” premiere during the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival at the Palais des Festivals on May 12, 2016 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)