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.

Pusha the cat, which adopted four bereaved baby squirrels and currently feeds and lives with them, lies at a local park of miniatures in Bakhchisaray, Crimea on April 25, 2019. (Photo by Alexey Pavlishak/Reuters)

Spanish actress Rossy de Palma poses as she arrives by taxi boat at the pier of the Excelsior Hotel on August 30, 2019 during the 76th Venice Film Festival at Venice Lido. (Photo by Alberto Pizzoli/AFP Photo)

Gymnast Simone Biles performs a flip after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch prior to Game Two of the 2019 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals at Minute Maid Park on October 23, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

A man wearing a mask looks on as he sells matresses in Manila, Philippines, January 8, 2020. (Photo by Willy Kurniawan/Reuters)

A woman holds piles of vegetables transported by motorcycle along a street in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on January 22, 2020. (Photo by Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP Photo)

A female pitch invader is caught by a steward during Day Two of the Fourth Test between South Africa and England at Wanderers on January 25, 2020 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

A woman takes a picture of a goat in Llandudno as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, Llandudno, Wales, Britain, March 31, 2020. Like other countries affected by the global coronavirus crisis, the United Kingdom has imposed strict social distancing measures including shop and school closures, and the authorities are asking everyone to stay at home except for essential travel. (Photo by Carl Recine/Reuters)