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.

Soldiers ask a tourist to evacuate Mirador beach ahead of Hurricane Beryl's expected arrival in Tulum, Mexico, July 4, 2024. (Photo by Fernando Llano/AP Photo)

Father Felix Mendoza, a Venezuelan Catholic priest, center, prays over a woman who cries, saying she is in physical pain, at a public hospital in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, May 11, 2021, amid the new coronavirus pandemic. Father Felix has been visiting patients at the hospital to comfort the sick, for the last 20 years. (Photo by Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

Every year National Parks Week gives visitors a chance to celebrate the incredible woodland spaces around the UK. This year the National Parks Week runs from 28 July – 3 August and there are 10 national parks across England to explore. Each one has created a special event to celebrate the National Parks Week, from picnics and treasure hunt in the park to cycle rides, safari or outdoor art exhibition. (Photo by Diana Jarvis/VisitEngland)

Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) and George R. R. Martin attend the “Game Of Thrones” Season 8 NY Premiere on April 3, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO)

An Occupy Wall Street protestor is arrested by the police during a march from Zuccotti Park to Union Square on March 24, 2012 in New York City. The Occupy Wall Street movement has seen a resurgence in recent weeks in part due to new protests over the killing of Florida teen Trayvon Martin. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Aerial view of sunbeam shining through mountain cave at Yueyan National Forest Park on August 27, 2024 in Yongzhou, Hunan Province of China. (Photo by Jiang Keqing/VCG via Getty Images)

The exhibition “All the colors of Warhol” on July 8, 2024 was opened in the SALON Gallery, the Museum of the City of Belgrade, organized by the Museum of the City of Belgrade and the Belgrade Festival Center of CEBEF, and will last until the end of the month. (Photo by L.L./ATAImages)