US actress Vanessa Hudgens poses upon her arrival for the 25th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation's Academy Awards Viewing Party on February 26, 2017 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/AFP Photo)

Faith Lynch (L) and Molly Beck (R) pose for a photo at Hackney Bridge as fans gather to watch a live broadcast of the semi-final match between England and Denmark on July 07, 2021 in London, England. England has reached the semi-finals of the UEFA European Football Championship 2020 hoping to make the final for the first time in the history of the competition. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

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.

Eleonora Brunacci and Mariano Di Vaio walk the red carpet ahead of the “Racer And The Jailbird (Le Fidele)” screening during the 74th Venice Film Festival at Sala Grande on September 8, 2017 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

People take part in the annual LGBTQ Pride parade in Bangkok, Thailand on June 4, 2023. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

ABC's “Jimmy Kimmel Live” features a week of guest hosts filling in for Jimmy, starting Monday, October 30, 2017. The guest host for Thursday, November 2 was Jennifer Lawrence with guest Kim Kardashian West (KKW Beauty) and musical guest Linkin Bridge. (Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty Images)

Tourists in the Serengeti, Tanzania in the second decade of February 2024, get more than they bargained for as a cheetah jumps on the bonnet of their jeep to make their acquaintance. (Photo by Ann Aveyard/Animal News Agency)

A group of youngsters dressed as ghouls and zombies for Halloween parade in downtown Lisbon, Portugal, Friday, October 31, 2014. (Photo by Francisco Seco/AP Photo)