Artists perform during the Closing Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 21 August 2016. (Photo by Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA)

A performer dances during Salgueiro performance at the Rio de Janeiro Carnival at Sambodromo on February 26, 2017 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Raphael Dias/Getty Images)

Female police officers from Istanbul's Motorcycled Police Unit wait to search vehicles during a roadside checkpoint operation on March 7, 2017 in Istanbul, Turkey. The rapid response unit nicknamed Dolphins is used primarily in crime prevention operations and has 25 female officers. 6% of Turkey's 250,000 strong police force are women, March 8 marks International Women's Day. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

A demonstrator is detained by police officers during clashes in downtown Barcelona, Spain, Friday, October 30, 2020. Clashes have erupted in a central Barcelona square between anti-riot police and hundreds who had gathered to protest the mandatory closure of bars, restaurants and other businesses in the latest effort to rein in on coronavirus outbreaks. (Photo by Joan Mateu/AP Photo)

Models present creations “2033 (teens)” by Belarusian designer Anastasiya Kutepova during a show at the festival and contest Fashion Mill, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Minsk, Belarus on June 30, 2020. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)

An Indian woman dressed as Hindu Goddess Kali participates in a “Shivratri” procession in Allahabad, India, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014. “Shivaratri”, or the night of Shiva, is dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of death and destruction. (Photo by Rajesh Kumar SinghAP Photo)

A young oriental small-clawed otter at the zoo in Neumuenster, Germany, March 5, 2014. The six young otters (one male, five female) were born on December 7, 2013. (Photo by Maja Hitij/EPA)

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.