Morenada dancers perform during the “Senor del Gran Poder” (Lord of Great Power) parade in La Paz, May 21, 2016. (Photo by David Mercado/Reuters)

Someone struggles with an umbrella on Mudeford Quay seafront in Dorset, UK during storm Nelson on March 28, 2024. (Photo by Steve Hogan/Picture Exclusive)

An areal view of the lake in the form of a heart in Rodgau, near Frankfurt, Germany, Friday, May 24, 2024. (Photo by Michael Probst/AP Photo)

People dressed as Santa Claus dance during an event as a part of Christmas celebrations in Chennai on December 22, 2024. (Photo by R.Satish Babu/AFP Photo)

An athlete dressed as a clown jumps into the Mediterranean sea as he takes part in the Copa Nadal in the Spanish port of Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, December 25, 2016. The Copa Nadal (Christmas Cup) is a traditional swimming competition that takes place in Barcelona every December 25th, where participants swim 200 meters in the open sea in the port of Barcelona. (Photo by Manu Fernandez/AP Photo)

Singer Paulina Rubio performs during the Latin Billboard Awards, Thursday, April 28, 2016 in Coral Gables, Fla. (Photo by Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo)

A devotee takes a holy bath at the Balaju Baise Dhara (22 water spouts) during the Baishak Asnan festival in Kathmandu April 4, 2015. Devotees believe that the water from these stone spouts, which is collected from the catchment area of the Nagarjun forest behind the spouts, will cure pains and skin diseases. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

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.