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 of murdered prisoner, lies on a chair next to his coffin during a wake after a prison riot in the city of Altamira, Para state, Brazil on July 30, 2019. At least 57 prisoners were killed by other inmates during clashes between organized crime groups in the Altamira prison in northern Brazil Monday with 16 of the victims being decapitated, according to prison officials. (Photo by Bruno Kelly/Reuters)

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

A model wears a creation for the Rick Owens ready-to-wear Spring/Summer 2023 fashion collection presented Thursday, September 29, 2022 in Paris. (Photo by Francois Mori/AP Photo)

Racegoers brave the rain during 2022 Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington Racecourse on November 1, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Martin Keep/Getty Images for VRC)

Romanian female soldiers stand prior to the military parade on Romania's National Day in Bucharest, on December 1, 2022. (Photo by Daniel Mihailescu/AFP Photo)

Kylian Mbappe of France celebrates his second goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between France and Poland at Al Thumama Stadium on December 4, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)

A poster advertises the highly anticipated video game, “Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” at a GameStop Corp. store November 6, 2011 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. Video game publisher Activision plans to release the eighth installment in the “Call of Duty” franchise at midnight on November 8. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)