American singer-songwriter FLETCHER celebrates with Tequila Don Julio 1942 at her Pride after party in Los Angeles, CA on June 9, 2023. (Photo by Taylor Kahan)

British television presenter Maya Jama at “Love Island All: Stars” TV show in London, United Kingdom on December 16, 2023. (Photo by ITV/Love Island/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Influencer Cindy Kimberly at Viktor&Rolf Couture Spring 2024 as part of Paris Couture Fashion Week held at Sorbonne Nouvelle on January 24, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Images)

“The White Lotus” co-stars Parker Posey (left) and Leslie Bibb reunite at the Gotham TV Awards near Wall Street in NYC on June 2, 2025. (Photo by Zach Hilty/BFA.com/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A woman leaves with her television set, as she and others are evicted from their apartment blocks close to the site of last week's building collapse, after their homes were deemed unfit for habitation and marked for demolition, in the Huruma neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya Friday, May 6, 2016. Following a building collapse which claimed at least 40 lives with more 80 people still unaccounted for, after severe flooding, the government has ordered the demolition of similar unsafe buildings in the area. (Photo by Ben Curtis/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.

Enigmatic Italian forward Mario Balotelli is always good for drama, so Fanny Neguesha is perfect for him. With her racy Instagram shots and wild ways, she might be the one to tame Super Mario’s heart. The couple was engaged to marry this week. (Photo by Splash News/Getty Images/Instagram.com)

A Muslim bride waits for the start of a mass marriage ceremony in Mumbai, India, January 27, 2016. A total of 12 Muslim couples took their wedding vows during the mass marriage ceremony organised by a Muslim voluntary organisation, organisers said. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)