People push a stretcher carrying an injured victim after a mosque blast inside the police headquarters, at a hospital in Peshawar on January 30, 2023. A blast at a mosque inside a police headquarters in Pakistan on January 30 killed at least 25 worshippers and wounded 120 more, officials said. (Photo by Zafar Iqbal/AFP Photo)

Morenada dancers dance at the Plaza de Armas during the celebrations of the Morenada National Day in La Paz, Bolivia on September 7, 2021. (Photo by Manuel Claure/Reuters)

British singer and songwriter Ella McMahon, better known by her stage name Ella Eyre performs on stage at SWG3 on October 20, 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Roberto Ricciuti/Redferns)

A labourer carries sugarcane to load onto a mini truck at the main vegetable and fruit market in Islamabad on July 7, 2020. (Photo by Aamir Qureshi/AFP Photo)

A boy plays in water from a broken fire hydrant in Rosemead, California on Saturday, May 10, 2025, seeking relief as spring heat breaks temperature records across the Southland. (Photo by Ringo Chiu/ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

1st prize in the People Observed Portraits Stories category. Carla Kogelman, the Netherlands. The photo shows Hannah and Alena, two sisters living in the rural village of Merkenbrechts, Austria. (Photo by Carla Kogelman/World Press 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.

People ride a motorcycle near Koudoukou Mosque where Pope Francis meets Imam Tidiani Moussa Naibi in Bangui, Central African Republic, November 30, 2015. (Photo by Stefano Rellandini/Reuters)