A person wearing a mask of Elmo walks around Times Square during the pass of the snowstorm on January 31, 2021 in New York City. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency order due to the arriving storm that's expected to wallop New York, where airports are expected to cancel the majority if their flights. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/VIEWpress)

Derek Hough, right, and Julianne Hough, co-winners of the award fo rOutstanding Choreography for “Dancing with the Stars”, pose in the press room at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Saturday, September 12, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Photo)

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.

An Iranian soldier guards two German tourists near the Iranian-Turkish border during World War II. Since the British occupation of Iran, all Axis nationals are being expelled from the country. (Photo by Three Lions/Getty Images). Circa 1941

Singer Taylor Swift poses backstage with her awards for Top Artist, Billboard Chart Achievement Award, Top Female Artist, Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Digital Songs Artist, Top Streaming Song (Video) for “Shake it Off” and Top Billboard 200 Album for “1989” during the 2015 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada May 17, 2015. (Photo by L. E. Baskow/Reuters)

U.S. President Barack Obama laughs as he reads the storybook “Where the Wild Things Are” during the annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House in Washington April 6, 2015. Thousands of children gathered at the White House for the annual Easter Egg Roll. This year's event features live music, cooking stations, storytelling, and of course, some Easter egg roll. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

U.S. Army soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment deployed to Combat Outpost Sabari, Afghanistan scan their area as they begin a multi-day air assault mission near the Pakistani border of eastern Afghanistan's Khost province May 2, 2012. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua L. DeMotts/U.S. Air Force)

Chloe Ferry attends the Geordie Shore series 15 “Shag Pad on Tour” cast launch at Tower Bridge on August 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)