Boys walk near a damaged building in the rebel held besieged city of Douma, in the eastern Damascus suburb of Ghouta, Syria December 30, 2016. (Photo by Bassam Khabieh/Reuters)

A Hindu devotee performs a stunt with fire during a rehearsal for the annual Rath Yatra, or chariot procession, which commemorates a journey by Hindu god Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, in specially made chariots, in Ahmedabad, India, June 26, 2016. (Photo by Amit Dave/Reuters)

Newly-wed Syrian couple Nada Merhi, 18, and Hassan Youssef, 27, have their wedding pictures taken in front of a heavily damaged building in the war ravaged city of Homs on February 5, 2016. A Syrian photographer thought of using the destruction of Homs to take pictures of newly wed couples to show that life is stronger than death. (Photo by Joseph Eid/AFP Photo)

Fashion lovers are seen gathering outside the shows during Paris Fashion Week, France on October 3, 2017. The over-the-knee boot trend is oh-so real this season thanks to Balenciaga, whose spandex boots have been flying off the shelves. Fashionista’s throughout fashion week battled blisters in order to look on-trend in the footwear. (Photo by Katz Sinding)

Spain fans react during the penalty shootout during 2022 FIFA World Cup football match between Morocco v Spain in Qatar as they watch the match on a big screen in Barcelona, December 6, 2022. (Photo by Nacho Doce/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.

A sun bear is offered chocolate by a visitor in its enclosure at a zoo in Bandung on January 18, 2017. Animal rights activists on January 18 demanded the closure of an Indonesian zoo after skeletal sun bears were pictured begging for food from visitors and eating their own dung. (Photo by Timur Matahari/AFP Photo)

An Indian Hindu man dressed as Lord Shiva holds a lit candle in his mouth as he takes part in a religious procession ahead of the Maha Shivratri Festival in Jalandhar on February 22, 2017. Hindus mark the Maha Shivratri festival by offering special prayers and fasting to worship Lord Shiva, the lord of destruction. (Photo by Shammi Mehra/AFP Photo)