Maggie Estby, of Champlin, Minn., high-fives her bulldog Bam Bam after the pooch was crowned the winner of the annual Drake Relays Beautiful Bulldog Contest, Monday, April 25, 2022, in Des Moines, Iowa. The pageant kicks off the Drake Relays festivities at Drake University where a bulldog is the mascot. (Photo by Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo)

A Pug sleeps during the American Kennel Club's (AKC) Meet the Breeds event in New York, U.S., January 29, 2023. (Photo by Jeenah Moon/Reuters)

A woman reacts during the annual tomato fight fiesta called “Tomatina”, tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol near Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, August 30, 2023. Thousands gather in this eastern Spanish town for the annual street tomato battle that leaves the streets and participants drenched in red pulp from 120,000 kilos of tomatoes. (Photo by Alberto Saiz/AP Photo)

Models wear creations as part of the Dolce & Gabbana women's Spring Summer 2024 collection presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, September 23, 2023. (Photo by Antonio Calanni/AP Photo)

American model and media personality Kendall Jenner attends the Gucci women's Spring Summer 2024 collection presented in Milan, Italy, Friday, September 22, 2023. (Photo by Luca Bruno/AP Photo)

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.

Ice Age – Tibet, China. “This is the Chinese version of the blue ice lake, Pumoungcuo, at an altitude of 5,070 metres (16,600 feet). This lake in Tibet freezes every winter. At night, under the low temperatures of -20C, you can listen to the sound of the ice cracking while capturing the most beautiful winter sky. The blue ice surface and dazzling Orion constellation create a fantasy landscape. I felt so happy to have the stars as my companion on this magical night”. (Photo by Daniel Zafra Portill/Milky Way Photographer of the Year)

Australian surfer Sally Fitzgibbons rides a wave during the 2023 ISA World Surfing Games at the El Tunco beach in El Salvador on June 6, 2023. (Photo by Marvin Recinos/AFP Photo)