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.

Sugar gliders, Candy and Popcorn, enjoy their favourite food, Nectar, at Wild Life Sydney Zoo on February 14, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. The treat made up of honey, high protein baby cereal and egg yolks is the human equivalent to chocolate to the Sugar Gliders. St. Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine began as a celebration of the early Christian Saint Valentinus. From the 18th Century onwards it has steadily transformed into a celebration of romantic love and sentiment in many countries around the world. (Photo by James D. Morgan/Getty Images)

National Police members disinfect Venezuelan citizens returning to the country from Colombia, as a preventive measure against the spread of the coronavirus –COVID19- at the Simon Boliviar International Bridge, in Cucuta, Colombia-Venezuela border, on April 4, 2020. Since the first case of COVID-19 was detected last March 6, Colombia has reported 1,406 people infected and 32 dead. (Photo by Schneyder Mendoza/AFP Photo)

A little girl wearing a face mask dances in front of a toy panda at a shopping area in Shanghai, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, China on June 16, 2020. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

A man transports chicken on a motorscooter to the chicken market in Kathmandu, Nepal, 07 February 2023. Cases of bird flu, or avian influenza, infections have been confirmed in three places in the Kathmandu Valley, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD), causing a drop in sales of chicken in the valley after the spread of the flu news. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA)

Navy midshipmen celebrate a Navy touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, December 14, 2019, in Philadelphia. Navy won 31-7. (Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

A woman prays during a gathering with other devotees for the ritual prayers for Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Destiny), one of the holiest nights during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, outside the Imamzadeh Saleh mosque in Tehran, on April 10, 2023. (Photo by Atta Kenare/AFP Photo)

A vendor sells beef at a market in Hanoi, Vietnam 01 October 2024. Vietnam's official manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) declined to 47.3 points in September, down from 52.4 points in the previous month, according to the latest survey from S&P Global. (Photo by Luong Thai Linh/EPA)