Beda Haemmerli drives his 1936 Ford Indy race car (front) through a steep turn during the Indianapolis in Oerlikon race demonstration at the Offene Rennbahn cycling track in Zurich's Oerlikon suburb, Switzerland July 24, 2018. (Photo by Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters)

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.

An Indian woman dressed in traditional attire rides a motorcycle as she participates in a procession to mark Gudi Padwa or the Marathi New Year in Mumbai, Maharashtra state, India, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. (Photo by Rajanish Kakade/AP Photo)

A Midshipmen from the Naval Academy eyes the Navy mascot behind her before the first half of the the 125th Army-Navy game at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, on December 14, 2024. (Photo by Danny Wild/USA TODAY Sports)

An actor performs during the show “Paris de Nuit” in Santiago, Chile, 20 September 2016. The show is a combination of cabaret and circus, produced by the Recirquel Contemporary Circus Company from Budapest, and will be performed at the Mapocho Cultural station from 20 to 25 September. (Photo by Mario Ruiz/EPA)

Bikini-clad students pack out the beaches in Florida on March 15, 2022. Thousands students have hit the sandy stretches of Miami to soak up the warm weather as American universities break up for half-term. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)

Women wearing traditional attire take a selfie as they practice the Garba, the traditional dance of Gujarat state, ahead of Navratri in Ahmedabad, India, Tuesday, September 20, 2022. The Hindu festival of Navratri, or nine nights, will begin Sept. 26. (Photo by Ajit Solanki/AP Photo)

A Palestinian girl is seen inside the giant jerry can filled with water as displaced Palestinians, sheltering in tents they have set up in schools and along roadsides, experience the increasing temperatures in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on June 11, 2024. Especially children are the most affected by the extremely hot weather conditions, while the number of Palestinians migrating to Deir al-Balah is increasing day by day due to Israeli attacks on different parts of Gaza. (Photo by Hasan Jedi/Anadolu via Getty Images)