Vietnam's Pham Hong Anh in action during her single dance final during the Southeast Asian Games' DanceSport competition in Mabalacat, Philippines, December 1, 2019. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

A Palestinian man reacts as he confronts Israeli forces during a protest against Israeli settlement activity near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on June 11, 2022. (Photo by Mussa Qawasma/Reuters)

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.

Wearing a satin and lastex top and a skirt made of fishnet Ann Evors, a Paramount player, poses for the cameramen on the beach, circa 1928. (Photo by Central Press)

Local residents crowd a swimming pool during a hot weather in Suining, Sichuan province, 27 July 2008. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

Belgium's Jules Hesters (L) falls as he competes in the Men's Elimination race during the first day of the UEC European Track Cycling Championships at the Omnisport indoor arena in Apeldoorn, on January 10, 2024. (Photo by John Thys/AFP Photo)

A Brighton and Hove Albion fan wearing a mask of a seagull outside the stadium ahead of the Premier League match at the American Express Stadium, Brighton and Hove on Sunday, December 15, 2024. (Photo by Zac Goodwin/PA Images via Getty Images)

A Midshipmen from the Naval Academy eyes the Navy mascot behind her before the first half of the the 125th Army-Navy game at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, on December 14, 2024. (Photo by Danny Wild/USA TODAY Sports)