A diesel locomotive has ended up in the river Venoge on March 8, 2013 near Penthalaz, Western Switzerland. The freight locomotive derailed near Cossonez railway station with its driver slightly injured. (Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/AFP Photo)

The crowd watches as stunt pilots Melissa Pemberton, Jurgis Kairys and Skip Stewart of The Immortals fly past pyrotechnics as they perform at The Australian International Airshow on March 1, 2015 in Avalon, Australia. (Photo by Scott E. Barbour/Getty Images)

A man exercises in the early morning on a hilltop overlooking Kabul, Afghanistan March 3, 2016. (Photo by Mohammad Ismail/Reuters)

A man poses with a hyena along a street in Lagos, Nigeria November 4, 2008. (Photo by Akintunde Akinleye/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.

Belarusian schoolchildren, who are members of a pro-government Young Pioneer movement, perform with drums as they take part in a meeting to mark the 95th anniversary of their organisation in Minsk, Belarus May 19, 2017. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)

Clowns Perlita and Tapetito, wearing protective gear amid the new coronavirus pandemic, speak with resident Enrique Zeballos as they arrive to disinfect his home free of charge, in El Alto, Bolivia, Friday, September 11, 2020. The lack of traditional employment for the clowns due to the pandemic has led them towards other avenues of making money. But for people with limited income they provide their disinfection services free of charge. (Photo by Juan Karita/AP Photo)

People wait at a bus stop during heavy rain in Kathmandu, Nepal on September 21, 2020. The government eased the coronavirus lockdown for economic activities despite the number of COVID-19 cases is on the rise in Nepal. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)