A worshipper prays during the Friday prayer at the Great Mosque in Ouagadougou, on January 28, 2022. Burkina Faso, the scene of a military coup on Monday, was suspended from the Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Friday, following a virtual summit of the organization whose heads of state will meet again on February 3 in Accra to reassess the situation in this country. (Photo by Olympia de Maismont/AFP Photo)

Gail Couillard, of South Burlington, Vermont, waits with her dog, Lyndon, for Republican presidential candidate, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley to take the stage at a campaign event at the DoubleTree Hotel on March 3, 2024 in South Burlington, Vermont. Despite having lost every state primary thus far to former President Donald Trump, Haley intends to stay in the Republican race at least through Super Tuesday on March 5. (Photo by John Tully/Getty Images)

Lewis McKay, two, from East Kilbride, tries out the drums at the 2024 World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow. on August 16, 2024 Some 204 bands, representing 13 nations and including 9,000 musicians, are competing over two days. (Photo by Wattie Cheung/The Times)

TCU guard Hailey Van Lith (10) drives to the basket between Texas guard Rori Harmon and forward Madison Booker (35) during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, March 31, 2025. in Birmingham, Ala. (Photo by Gerald Herbert/AP Photo)

Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner are seen filming at the “One Night Only” set in SoHo, Manhattan on November 07, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

TV personality Meredith Marks at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, NV on Friday, November 14, 2025. (Photo by: Griffin Nagel/Bravo via 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.

A member of the Philippine National Police stands guard as he detains people as part of the “Rid the Streets Of Drinkers and Youth” operation on a main road in Las Pinas city, metro Manila, Philippines June 1, 2016. (Photo by Romeo Ranoco/Reuters)