A nurse shows a syringe with a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to a citizen who is about to receive it during a vaccination day as part of the campaign in Mexico City at Pepsi Center WTC on May 25, 2021 in Mexico City, Mexico. According to the head of Govermnment, Claudia Sheinbaum, seven municipalities will start their campaign today which plans to apply the first dose to over 500,000 citizens between 50 and 59 years old. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

A woman and a girl dressed in historical Red Army uniform, wait before watching the Victory Day parade, marking the 71st anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, at Red Square in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2016. (Photo by Grigory Dukor/Reuters)

A United States Air Force (USAF) F-15 fighter jet travels at low altitude through the “Mach Loop” series of valleys near Dolgellau, north Wales on June 26, 2018. The Mach Loop valleys, situated between Dolgellau and Machynlleth, are regularly used by the military for operational low flying training which can take place as low as 76 metres from the nearest terrain. The USAF regularly use the loop to practice low-altitude flight, which confuses radar systems. (Photo by Oli Scarff/AFP Photo)

Servicemen of the Belarussian Interior Ministry's special forces unit perform during Maslenitsa celebrations, a pagan holiday marking the end of winter celebrated with pancake eating and shows of strength, at their base in Minsk, Belarus February 19, 2017. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)

Ukrainian servicemen of the 128th separate mountain assault Transcarpathian brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine take part in tank drills, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine on January 11, 2024. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

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.

A woman made up as a skull participates in Day of the Dead festivities in Mexico City, Thursday, October 27, 2016. The holiday honors the dead as friends and families gather in cemeteries to decorate their loved ones' graves and hold vigil through the night on Nov. 1 and 2. (Photo by Marco Ugarte/AP Photo)

Aiden Haas, left, and Lilli Alcala pose after being crowned Mud King and Mud Queen at the 29th annual Mud Day, Tuesday, July 12, 2016 in Westland, Mich. The event, open to children 12 and younger, was at the Hines Park-Nankin Mills Area west of Detroit. Children 12 and younger were able to slosh around in the pit while participating in mud limbo, wheelbarrow races and other free activities. (Photo by Carlos Osorio/AP Photo)