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.

Israeli soldiers cry during a state memorial ceremony marking two years since the 2014 Gaza war “Operation Protective Edge” at Mount Herzl military cemetery in in Jerusalem, Israel, 26 July 2016. More than 2.000 people were killed in the conflicts between Israel and Palestine. (Photo by Abir Sultan/EPA)

Leicester City hostesses take pictures in front of a billboard as people gather to watch the team's English Premier League soccer match against Everton on a big screen, in Bangkok, Thailand, May 7, 2016. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)

Iranian soccer fan wait for the start of the group B match between Iran and Spain at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Kazan Arena in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, June 20, 2018. (Photo by Diego Azubel/EPA/EFE)

Astronomer, space scientist and meteorologist Andrea Opitz, senior research associate of the Space Physics and Space Technology Department of Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) Wigner Research Centre for Physics (2R) wears a space suit during a cosmology exhibition in Budapest, Hungary, 03 March 2016. The photo series was created to mark the International Women's Day (IWD), which was marked for the first time in 1911 and is celebrated on 08 March since 1913. (Photo by Bea Kallos/EPA)

A woman wearing a protective face mask carries her pet cat in a backpack as they wait to cross a street, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Barcelona, Spain on April 9, 2021. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)

A girl receives Covid-19 vaccine as Nepal Government begins vaccinating children aged 5-12 at a school in Kathmandu on June 23, 2022. (Photo by Aryan Dhimal/ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A child prays in front of the cenotaph dedicated to the victims of the atomic bombing at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, western Japan Friday, August 6, 2021. Hiroshima on Friday marked the 76th anniversary of the world's first atomic bombing of the city. (Photo by Kyodo News via AP Photo)