Cast member Shu Qi poses during a photocall for the film “The Assassin” (Nie yin niang) in competition at the 68th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, May 21, 2015. (Photo by Eric Gaillard/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.

Young man making the O.K. sign. (Photo by George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images). Circa 1950s

A model presents a creation from the Gareth Pugh Spring/Summer 2016 collection during London Fashion Week in London, Britain September 19, 2015. (Photo by Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters)

An Israeli police officer holds his weapon as he stands in front of an injured Israeli driver moments after witnesses said his car crashed into a Palestinian on a pavement during stone-throwing clashes near Lion's Gate just outside Jerusalem's Old City on May 10, 2021. (Photo by Ilan Rosenberg/Reuters)

Indonesian students wearing paper masks take part in the East Java Mask Parade in Surabaya, Indonesia, 13 December 2015. Thousands of people participate in the traditional parade to preserve the mask custom among the younger generation. (Photo by Fully Handoko/EPA)

Collided passenger train cars are seen in Taebaek, South Korea, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. Two passenger trains collided head-on in eastern South Korea on Tuesday afternoon, killing one passenger and injuring dozens, fire officials said. (Photo by AFP Photo/Yonhap)

Myanmar's military parade to mark the 72nd Armed Forces Day in the capital Naypyitaw, Myanmar March 27, 2017. (Photo by Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters)