Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retriever Torrey competes in the 10th annual Petco Unleashed surfing dog contest at Imperial Beach, California August 1, 2015. Proceeds raised at the event go to benefit the San Diego Humane Society. (Photo by Mike Blake/Reuters)

Los Angeles Rams cheerleaders including the first two male cheerleaders in Super Bowl history (C) perform in the third quarter of Super Bowl LIII between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 03 February 2019. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/EPA/EFE)

Students exercise in body training at Bishan Vocational Education Center in Chongqing, southwest China, January 13, 2016. These students were trained to be stewardesses of the high-speed train. (Photo by Xie Jie/Xinhua)

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 view of a vintage Rolls Royce limousine with a female driver. (Photo by General Photographic Agency/Getty Images). Circa 1935

A vlogger who dressed up to look like a humanoid robot poses at the Shanghai auto show on Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Photo by Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)

Firefighters pull a pig as they try to rescue it from a well at a pig farm in Huanghua township of Leqing, Zhejiang province, April 25, 2014. Seven local firefighters successfully rescued a 300 kg (661 lbs) pig which fell down a well on Friday morning, local media reported. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

Yakelin Hernandez, 18, poses for a photograph near The Malecon where The Carnival was held, on August 14, 2015. Colorful costumes, dancing, parades and street parties on the Malecon in Havana, Cuba are all part of Havana Carnival 2015 which was held in August. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)