(L-R) American actress Joey King, English actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson and American actor Brian Tyree Henry attend the “Bullet Train” Photocall at The Corinthia Hotel on July 20, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Hao Han (8), Shaolin kung fu student and child actor. Shaolin Monastery, Henan. (Photo by Mathias Braschler and Monika Fischer)

American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo wishes her famous bestie, actor Iris Apatow, a happy birthday on October 12, 2021. (Photo by Instagram)

Actors perform during the ice sculptures festival “Ice Moscow” in Moscow, Russia, 06 January 2025. (Photo by Yuri Kochetkov/EPA/EFE)

Actors perform the living Nativity biblical scenes in Postojna cave in Postojna, Slovenia, December 22, 2015. (Photo by Srdjan Zivulovic/Reuters)

(L-R) Actors Oscar Sinela, Luis Fernandez, Ursula Corbero, Amaia Salamanca, Maxi Iglesias and Alba Ribas attend “XP3D” premiere at the Callao cinema on December 27, 2011 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)

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.

Actors perform a scene in a film directed by Humam Husari in the rebel-held besieged town of Zamalka, in the Damascus suburbs, Syria September 19, 2016. (Photo by Bassam Khabieh/Reuters)