A woman looks at a handgun at the Glock booth at the Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show, Tuesday, January 19, 2016, in Las Vegas. The SHOT Show, the world's largest annual trade show for shooting, hunting and law enforcement professionals, runs through January 23 and is expected to feature 1,600 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to more than 62,000 attendees. (Photo by John Locher/AP Photo)

A guest’s hands at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood awards luncheon at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills, California on March 24, 2022. (Photo by Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Australian actor Chris Hemsworth (L) and Spanish model Elsa Pataky (R) attend the Governors Ball during the 96th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 10, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Cars at a car dealership are seen in the flooded village of Fischerdorf, near Deggendorf June 7, 2013. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle

Actor Bella Thorne (L) and model Amber Rose at the NYLON Young Hollywood Party at AVENUE Los Angeles on May 2, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for NYLON)

North Kenya, Liboi. A young Somali refugee crosses a field filled with marabous storks in July 1992. (Photo by Jean-Claude Coutausse)

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.

Jason Garcia poses as The Joker from Batman at the 2015 Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, July 9, 2015. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Reuters)