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.

Handout picture released by Telam showing the tarmac of the Pedro Palacios Avenue in Ramos Mejia, province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, under which the channeled waters of the Maldonado stream flow, after it collapsed on April 8, 2014 leaving a 40-metre-long, 1.4-metre-deep hole. About 3000 people had to be evacuated in the Argentine provinces of Neuquen (soutwest), Catamarca (northwest), Santiago del estero (center) and Cordoba (center)due to the foods caused by heavy rain, official sources said. (Photo by Daniel Dabove/AFP Photo)

A penitent called “Morion” checks his mobile phone in Mogpog town on Marinduque island in central Philippines April 14, 2014. During the annual festival, masked and costumed penitents called “Moriones” dress in attire that is the local interpretation of what Roman soldiers wore during biblical times. Holy Week is celebrated in many Christian traditions during the week before Easter. (Photo by Erik De Castro/Reuters)

A man takes a picture of models as they pose next to Cosmis Racing Wheels products during the 2016 Moscow International Auto Salon in Moscow, Russia, August 26, 2016. (Photo by Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters)

Model Joanna Krupa seen out and about leaving Craigs restaurant on April 21, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)

Festival goers dance during Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, near Pilton, Somerset, Britain, 23 June 2017. The outdoor festival runs from 21 to 25 June. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/EPA)

Runners high-five children cheering from the sidewalk as they begin the half marathon during the Ottawa Race Weekend, which returned from a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ottawa, Canada on Sunday, May 29, 2022. (Photo by Canadian Press/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Models present creations “2033 (teens)” by Belarusian designer Anastasiya Kutepova during a show at the festival and contest Fashion Mill, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Minsk, Belarus on June 30, 2020. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)