American singer-songwriter, producer and former dancer Anastacia and teacher dancer Maykel Fonts perform during the “Dancing with the Stars” TV show in Rome, Italy on March 24, 2018. (Photo by PA Press Association)

A starling jealously guards a seed station in the back garden of the photographer’s Michigan home in January 2024. (Photo by Lisa Cavanary/Solent News)

This photo taken on March 29, 2017 shows a young woman offering shots of liquer at a dance bar in Walking Street in Pattaya. Two hours east of Bangkok, Pattaya' s bawdy reputation hails from the Vietnam War era when US GIs partied in their downtime. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/AFP 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.

Rapper Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, known professionally as Cardi B arrives at Queens Criminal Court on December 10, 2019 in New York City to answer charges over strip club incident. Cardi B has been charged in a 14-count indictment, including two counts of felony attempted assault on two bartenders at Angels Strip Club in the Flushing section of Queens. (Photo by John Angelillo/UPI/Barcroft Media)

American singer Miley Cyrus, left, and American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish attend the Gucci “Love Parade” fashion show Tuesday, November 2, 2021, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Photo)

The Turkish merchant ship Efe Murat is driven aground in strong winds in Bari, Italy on February 25, 2019. (Photo by De Giglio/Fotogramma/Ropi/ROPI via ZUMA Press/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Kim Kardashian seen on the streets of Manhattan on September 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/GC Images)