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 and model Hunter Schafer on May 6, 2025 made a late yet stunning entrance at the Met Gala after-party, arriving at 4AM to join the exclusive festivities in style. (Photo by Backgrid USA)

If you ever wanted to wear houses on your finger, now’s your chance (though it’s hard to imagine that any sane person would have such a desire)! Clive Roddy offers you an opportunity to fulfill your dream of having a ring that features houses, waves, mountains, or trees. In order to create these rings, first the metal is cut using a laser, and then the whole thing is hand painted using colored enamel. Though these rings are very pretty, it is hard to imagine someone wearing such a ring on everyday basis. These types of rings should probably be reserved for special occasions or festivals, rather than for everyday use. (Photo by Clive Roddy)

Participants learn how to survive in the wild, including tips on how to make it through a zombie invastion at a “Zombie First Responder” course March 11, 2012 in Sandy, Oregon. In an intensive 2-day curriculum participants train in everything from wilderness and urban survival, nerf or nerd weaponry, stealth and evasion, and proper zombie “disposal”. (Photo by Natalie Behring/Getty Images)

Young dancers from the Style Dance Academy perform during a Mother's Day block party in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, May 19, 2019. Although Mother's Day was officially celebrated the previous weekend, people in the Petare area organized the neighborhood party to celebrate the mothers of their community. (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

Six-month old female liliger cub Eva plays in snow with her mother Zita in the Zoo in Novosibirsk, Russia, Thursday, December 5, 2013. The cub's mother is Zita, a liger – half-lioness, half-tiger, and its father is a lion, Sam. (Photo by Ilnar Salakhiev/AP Photo)

Each day as we look in the mirror, we think that we know ourselves. We are used to the image that we see before us, but the mirror can show us much more than we ever hoped to see. Sometimes it only shows basic emotions, while at other times it can highlight the deepest crevices of our soul. If you wish, in the reflection of the mirror you can see your deepest thoughts, masks that you wear every day, your desires, and of course the people that you think about. But are you brave enough to look deep within your soul? Will you dive headlong or shy away from your true image? Those that will muster up the courage necessary will realize it was well worth the effort. (Photo by Devin Mitchell)

Students attend a stewardess skill training for the upcoming 2017 entrance examination for art majors in colleges in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, January 4, 2017. Along with how to stand, how to sit is also covered in these classes. (Photo by Li Bo/Xinhua/Barcroft Images)