Starlings gather on power lines at dusk, Friday, October 21, 2022, in Overland Park, Kan. (Photo by Charlie Riedel/AP Photo)

Trees are consumed by the Bridge Fire near Wrightwood, Calif., Wednesday, September 11, 2024. (Photo by Jae C. Hong/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.

A relative performs rituals for a man who died of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), before his cremation at a crematorium in New Delhi, India, November 19, 2020. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)

#14 Kathellen of Brazil show her dejection after the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup France Round Of 16 match between France and Brazil at Stade Oceane on June 23, 2019 in Le Havre, France. (Photo by Yves Herman/Reuters)

Polar Bear club swimmers take their annual swim in the sea at Coney Island in New York City on January 1, 2014. (Photo by Curtis Means/ACE/INFphoto.com)

A wild cow jumps over revelers in the bullring after the first running of the bulls at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, northern Spain, July 7, 2016. (Photo by Eloy Alonso/Reuters)

Women breastfeed their babies at an event promoting the freedom of mothers to breastfeed in public, during World Breastfeeding Week, at the Village Museum in Bucharest Romania, Saturday, August 6, 2016. (Photo by Andreea Alexandru/AP Photo)