Riot police officers in position to crack down on demonstrators during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas on April 20, 2017. Venezuelan riot police fired tear gas Thursday at groups of protesters seeking to oust President Nicolas Maduro, who have vowed new mass marches after a day of deadly unrest. Police in western Caracas broke up scores of opposition protesters trying to join a larger march, though there was no immediate repeat of Wednesday's violent clashes, which left three people dead. (Photo by Juan Barreto/AFP Photo)

Woman on swings attached to a float during the Sexual Freedom Parade, part of Naughty in N'awlins held in New Orleans, Louisiana, Wednesday July 5th, 2017. These are the photos from inside the world’s largest swinging convention for couples. The exclusive images reveal the unlikely couples who like to engage in sexual relations with other people besides their partners – and show that swinging is more ‘normal’ than you think. (Photo by Mathew Growcoot/News Dog Media)

Life-size sеx dolls are displayed during the 2016 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on January 20, 2016 in Las Vegas, United States. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/FilmMagic)

Leon Feingold, right, drops his jeans as his girlfriend Patrizia Calvio looks in her purse on the uptown E Train during the 18th annual No Pants Subway Ride, January 13, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Kathy Willens/AP Photo)

Canadian actress Shay Mitchell gets fitted for a photo shoot in the second decade of December 2023. (Photo by Shaymitchell/Instagram)

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.

The aerobatic demonstration team of the Italian Air Force, the Frecce Tricolori (“Tricolor Arrows”), fly over the Basilica of Saint Mary of Health as they perform as part of a nationwide tour to show unity and solidarity following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Venice, Italy, May 29, 2020. (Photo by Manuel Silvestri/Reuters)

An Indigenous schoolchild dressed in traditional attire takes part in a rally to commemorate Indigenous Resistance Day in Catarina town, Nicaragua October 12, 2016. This holiday coincides with Columbus Day which commemorates Christopher Columbus landing in America in 1492. But rather than celebrating the discovery of the Americas, the Nicaraguans observe Indigenous Resistance Day to celebrate the bravery of the indigenous population in the fight against the Spanish conquistadors. (Photo by Oswaldo Rivas/Reuters)