A baby rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) looks up as it plays with a tiger cub at a zoo in Hefei, Anhui province, August 2, 2012. (Photo by Jianan Yu/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.

American model Emily Ratajkowski, 30, appeared in perfect shape from the front and back in a teeny hot pink bikini and high heels in Los Angeles on September 4, 2021. The beauty was in LA for a fashion show organised by singer Rihanna. (Photo by Backgrid USA)

A Nihang' or Sikh warrior performs “Gatka”, an ancient form of Sikh martial arts, during a Fateh Divas celebration a day after the Hindu festival Diwali, in Amritsar on November 5, 2021. (Photo by Narinder Nanu/AFP Photo)

A photo taken on November 17, 2021 shows two glass recycling containers transformed as part of the new GAU project (Gallerie Urbane di Città Ideale, or Urban Galleries of the Ideal City), promoted by the cultural association Progetto Goldstein, in the Circonvallazione cornelia street of Rome. The project is transforming 34 containers for the separate collection of glass into artists' canvases with a special tribute to poet Dante and his Divine Comedy. (Photo by Tiziana Fabi/AFP Photo)

English Internet personality Sophie Piper looked stunning as she went braless in a tiny blazer dress. The 25-year-old in the second decade of June 2024 took to Instagram to share snaps from her trip to the stunning Italian coastal town of Positano. (Photo by Instagram)

Supporters of former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrive for a campaign rally at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on October 29, 2024. (Photo by Angela Weiss/AFP Photo)

Julia Lopez Peña, the daughter of slain environmentalist Juan López, poses for a photo with her state-assigned bodyguards at her ninth birthday party in Tocoa, Honduras, December 7, 2024. (Photo by Moises Castillo/AP Photo)