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 costumed guest attends WonderCon Anaheim 2015 at Anaheim Convention Center on April 4, 2015 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Araya Diaz/WireImage)

A tourist poses for a picture with the Sphinx at the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, Egypt, on October 19, 2011. (Reuters/Jamal Saidi)

“Pivo”, Nissan's concept car is introduced at Nissan's Gallery on September 30, 2005 in Tokyo, Japan. “Pivo” is an electric car in which the direction of the cabin moves 180 degrees, therefore, when making a turn in a different direction, it simply needs to move the cabin without moving the car. (Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images)

In this September 30, 2017 photo, people perform “transvestite target practice” to protest the killings of transvestite prostitutes during the annual LGBQT march in Asuncion, Paraguay. Advocacy groups fear the stigma and attacks against the LGBQT community could get worse now that the country's education minister has banned classes about sexual diversity in schools and even volunteered to help burn all books related to the subject. (Photo by Jorge Saenz/AP Photo)

American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo (R) seen at BRIT Awards 2022 Sam Fender's After Party at Four Quarters in Peckham on February 08, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Neil Mockford/Ricky Vigil M/GC Images)

A participant with a painted face takes part in Delhi Queer Pride March, an event promoting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights, in New Delhi, India on January 8, 2023. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

English actress Danielle Harold shot exclusively for the Sun on Sunday, May 7, 2023 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Olivia West/News Group Newspapers Ltd via The Sun)