An attendee dressed as Winnie the Pooh talks with a member of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department during the annual pre-Halloween High Heel Race in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 28, 2025. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Reuters)

Yakelin Hernandez, 18, poses for a photograph near The Malecon where The Carnival was held, on August 14, 2015. Colorful costumes, dancing, parades and street parties on the Malecon in Havana, Cuba are all part of Havana Carnival 2015 which was held in August. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

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.

Aerobatic pilot Sean D. Tucker flies in the two-seat Oracle Extra airplane over downtown Chicago skyline, Wednesday, June 8, 2016. Tucker will perform before the start of of the America's Cup World Series racing on Saturday and Sunday. (Photo by Kiichiro Sato/AP Photo)

English singer-songwriter Dua Lipa early November 2022 shares “miscellaneous” photos from Japan. (Photo by dualipa/Instagram)

Vlada Nikolchenko of Ukraine performs with the ribbon during the 36th European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, November 29, 2020. Athletes from 23 countries participate in the championship in Kyiv. (Photo by Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo)

American media personality Paris Hilton looks flawless in her little black dress which she pairs with a leather jacket on Saturday, September 26, 2020. The heiress is joined by beau Carter Reum as they venture out to Nobu in Malibu for a romantic date night. (Photo by X17/SIPA Press)