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.

Students rush past the bodies of inmates outside the Croix-des-Bouquets Civil Prison after an attempted breakout, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, February 25, 2021. At least seven people were killed and one injured on Thursday after eyewitnesses told The Associated Press that several inmates tried to escape from a prison in Haiti’s capital. (Photo by Dieu Nalio Chery/AP Photo)

Cars float up from a car garage in a mixture of storm water and gasoline in lower Manhattan as workers begin the process of pumping out the mess. (Photo by Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

A citizen rides in smog on December 20, 2016 in Jinan, Shandong Province of China. Air quality index (AQI) readings exceeded 400 and some schools have suspended classes in Jinan. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

A woman transports fodder for her cattle on a bullock cart on the outskirts of Ajmer, Rajasthan, January 6, 2017. (Photo by Himanshu Sharma/Reuters)

A North Korean soldier kicks a pole along the bank of Yalu River near the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong, February 4, 2014. (Photo by Jacky Chen/Reuters)

An unidentified runner gestures while being attended by medical services following the first running of the bulls of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, northern Spain, July 7, 2015. Two runners were gored in the run that lasted 2 minutes and 23 seconds, according to local media. (Photo by Eloy Alonso/Reuters)

The North Side Skull & Bone Gang stand together during the wake up call for Mardi Gras, Tuesday, February 9, 2016, in New Orleans. Their costumes are intended to represent the dead and they bring a serious message, reminding people of their mortality and the need to live a productive and good life. (Photo by Brynn Anderson/AP Photo)