A man lies in the sea grass at a beach on July 18, 2016 in Qingdao, Shandong Province of China. The enteromorpha prolifera spread on the beaches in Qingdao and were under clearing. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

A man dressed as Santa Claus poses during a base flying event in downtown in Berlin December 6, 2014. Participants of the event hosted by entertainment agency Jochen Schweizer flew down 98 metres (322 ft.) from atop the hotel in the German capital. (Photo by Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)

An Indonesian muslim woman walks on “sea of sands” as they prepare for Eid Al-Fitr prayer at Parangkusumo beach on July 17, 2015 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Muslims worldwide observe the Eid Al-Fitr prayer to mark the end of Ramadan and the beginning of the new month of blessing Shawwal 1436 Hijriah. (Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)

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 girl visits by an area decorated with lanterns ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year festivity at Yu Garden, following the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Shanghai, China, January 28, 2022. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

A person waving the rainbow flag runs on the pitch as the players line up for the national anthems the UEFA EURO 2020 Group F football match between Germany and Hungary at the Allianz Arena in Munich on June 23, 2021. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Pool via AFP Photo)

A child in colorful kimono walks at Tokyo's Asakusa district on the occasion of Shichigosan celebration Thursday, October 22, 2020. The festival celebrates children aged three, five and seven for their well-being. (Photo by Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)

Trialist Pavel Prikhodko attempts to pull an An-2 plane as a cat walks nearby during a charity event near the village of Tatarka in Stavropol Region, Russia on December 27, 2020. (Photo by Eduard Korniyenko/Reuters)