A Chinese man wears a mask to protect against pollution as he waits at a red light while commuting to work in heavy smog on December 8, 2015 in Beijing, China. The Beijing government issued a 'red alert' for the first time since new standards were introduced earlier this year as the city and many parts of northern China were shrouded in heavy pollution. Levels of PM 2.5, considered the most hazardous, crossed 400 units in Beijing, lower than last week, but still nearly 20 times the acceptable standard set by the World Health Organization. The governments of more than 190 countries are meeting in Paris to set targets on reducing carbon emissions in an attempt to forge a new global agreement on climate change. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Cuban-Spanish actress Ana de Armas, who played Cuban secret agent Paloma in 2021’s “No Time to Die”. (Photo by Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar)

A woman dressed as a nurse sits next to Gerhard after a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination in a brothel in Vienna, Austria on November 8, 2021. (Photo by Leonhard Foeger/Reuters)

Vlada Nikolchenko of Ukraine performs with the ribbon during the 36th European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, November 29, 2020. Athletes from 23 countries participate in the championship in Kyiv. (Photo by Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo)

Paris Saint-Germain's Italian goalkeeper #01 Gianluigi Donnarumma sustains an injury by Monaco's Ivorian defender #17 Wilfried Singo (L) during the French L1 football match between AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain at the Louis II Stadium (Stade Louis II) in the Principality of Monaco on December 18, 2024. (Photo by Valery Hache/AFP Photo)

Team Alberta skip Kevin Koe makes a shot during the 10th draw against team British Columbia at the Brier curling tournament in Brandon, Manitoba, Tuesday, March, 5, 2019. (Photo by Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via 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 woman dressed in Qing dynasty style clothing rides a bicycle along a street near the Forbidden City in Beijing on October 24, 2023. (Photo by Wang Zhao/AFP Photo)