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 visitor takes a photo of a boulder plastic made of synthetic material called “To be in Limbo” hangs from the ceiling of the 20 meter high Jesuit Church in Vienna, Austria, Tuesday, November 25, 2014. The eight meter high, hollow and 700 kilogram heavy sculpture from the artists group Steinbrener/Dempf and Huber is supposed to symbolize faith and its threatening moments. The installation will remain until April 19, 2015 and then move to a church in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Ronald Zak/AP Photo)

Models turned into “humanoid” robots pose on a train at Waterloo Station on October 2, 2016 in London, England for the launch of new Sky Atlantic TV drama Westworld. (Photo by Matt Alexander/PA Wire)

Model Bella Hadid celebrates her 20th birthday with her mother Yolanda Foster, The Weeknd and Shanina Shaik at Up & Down in New York City, NY on October 10, 2016. (Photo by TheStewartofNY/Splash News)

A sun bear reacts to triple-digit temperatures at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, where the temperature reached 103 degrees Fahrenheit on July 6, 2012. (Photo by Nati Harnik/Associated Press)

A masked reveller parades through the streets on the first day of the carnival season in Lucerne, Switzerland, 12 February 2015. In the background the well known Kappellbruecke bridge. (Photo by Alexandra Wey/EPA)

Dancers perform on their way to attend a rally with former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, “Lula”, supporting President Dilma Rousseff in the historic Lapa neighborhood on April 11, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Brazil's congressional impeachment committee approved the motion to proceed with President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment process today. A full vote by the lower house of Congress on the impeachment is scheduled for Sunday to decide whether she will face trial. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

A picture made available on 09 October 2016 shows competitors during a Legion Run event, in Sofiko near the city of Corinth, Greece, 08 October 2016. Legion Run is run covering five kilometres with obstacles of mud, fire, ice and barbed wire, which takes place in different countries around the globe. (Photo by Vassilis Psomas/EPA)