People react as they ride an escalator on the London Underground during the “No Trousers Tube Ride” in London, Britain on January 7, 2024. (Photo by Hollie Adams/Reuters)

JAPAN: A businessman stands at a pond in the Kyu-Shiba-rikyu Garden on a warm and sunny day in Tokyo, Japan, March 18, 2016. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)

Britain's Emma Raducanu hits a return against Sloane Stephens of the US during their women's singles match on day two of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 18, 2022. (Photo by James Gourley/Reuters)

Tara Davis-Woodhall, celebrates after winning the women's long jump during the U.S. track and field championships in Eugene, Ore., Sunday, July 9, 2023. (Photo by Ashley Landis/AP Photo)

Italy's Arianna Valcepina falls during the women's 500 m qualifying race at the ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Cup in Gdansk, Poland, 16 February 2024. (Photo by Adam Warzawa/EPA)

Elise de Jong of Team Netherlands competes in the Women's Pole Vault during day two of the European Athletics U20 Championships 2025 on August 08, 2025 in Tampere, Finland. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images for European Athletics)

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.

Women carry a portable shrine, a Mikoshi, through a street in Tokyo's Asakusa district during the Sanja festival, Japan, May 15, 2016. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)