Period-costumed actors participate in the 150th anniversary re-enactment of the surrender of General Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. Grant at the Museum of Confederacy in Appomattox, Virginia, April 9, 2015. (Photo by Jay Paul/Reuters)

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.

“You” star, American actress Victoria Pedretti locks lips with American actor Fred Hechinger in New York City on February 26, 2024. (Photo by The Image Direct)

Swedish-born actor Dolph Lundgren shows off his muscles by sweeping two women off their feet at the same time, 1986. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Actor Danny DeVito attends the “Dr. Seuss' The Lorax” (Der Lorax) Germany Photocall at Ritz Carlton on March 5, 2012 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

One day photographer Jimmy Hickey decided to do a photo project capturing “money problems personified”, so he withdraw everything from his bank account in one dollar bills and created a money suit. The resulting project is titled “What Have We Done?”.

(L-R) Actors Oscar Sinela, Luis Fernandez, Ursula Corbero, Amaia Salamanca, Maxi Iglesias and Alba Ribas attend “XP3D” premiere at the Callao cinema on December 27, 2011 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)