A child watches as an adult poses for a photograph while holding a Thompson AR-15 rifle, which is inscribed with the likeness of former US President Donald Trump at the Tommy Gun Warehouse during the annual Rod of Iron Freedom Festival in Greeley, Pennsylvania, 07 October 2023. The festival is one of the the largest open carry festivals celebrating the 2nd Amendment in North America. (Photo by Will Oliver/EPA)

A young girl dressed as living goddess Kumari drinks juice as she waits for Kumari Puja, a worship ritual at Hanuman Dhoka, Basantapur Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, September 27, 2023. Girls under the age of nine gathered for the tradition of worshiping young prepubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy. The ritual holds a strong religious significance in the Newar community that seeks divine blessings to save small girls from diseases and bad luck in the years to come. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)

American media personality and socialite Kim Kardashian poses at GQ's Men of the Year Party at Bar Marmont, Thursday, November 16, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/AP Photo)

Rachel Hanson, 27 from Chicago, Illinois at the Bellagio Fountain Club at the Bellagio hotel and casino during the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 18, 2023. (Photo by Bridget Bennett/The Washington Post)

Lindsey Stirling performs onstage at Salle Pleyel on December 19, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)

Actors Rooney Mara, left, and Joaquin Phoenix arrive at the premiere of “Joker: Folie a Deux” on Monday, September 30, 2024, at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/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.