Actress Margaret Qualley is seen backstage during the 97th Annual Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 02, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by John Shearer/97th Oscars/The Academy via Getty Images)

South African singer Tyla, centre, and British editor Anna Wintour, right, attend the Chanel Fall/Winter 2025-2026 Womenswear collection presented Tuesday, March 11, 2025. in Paris. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP Photo)

Superstar Taylor Swift revealed the album cover and artwork for her highly anticipated 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl”, on Wednesday, August 13, 2025. (Photo by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott)

A woman reacts during the annual “Tomatina” tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol near Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, August 27, 2025. (Photo by Alberto Saiz/AP Photo)

American drag queens Laganja Estranja and Morphine Love Dion perform at OUTLOUD Music Festival at 2024 WeHo Pride on May 31, 2024 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Sarah Morris/WireImage)

Brooks Nader and her sisters, Mary Holland, Grace Ann, and Sarah Jane announce Season 2 of “Love Thy Nader” with a photoshoot in Los Angeles on November 24, 2025. (Photo by Backgrid USA)

A driver maneuvers his classic American car along a wet road as a wave crashes against the Malecon in Havana, Cuba on Thursday. Hurricane Sandy blasted across eastern Cuba as a potent Category 2 storm and headed for the Bahamas after causing at least two deaths in the Caribbean. (Photo by Ramon Espinosa/Associated Press)

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.