A participant of the “Zombie Takeover of Coney Island” acts like a zombie as he walks along Surf Avenue in Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York, July 2, 2014. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/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.

A wildfire on the Scottish island in the first decade of April 2025. Fire services are calling on people to act responsibly after an “extreme” wildfire warning was issued for the whole of Scotland. (Photo by Police Scotland/PA Wire)

Wing maker Marian Hose (L), also known as “Killer”, and Model Martha Hunt take part in a fitting ahead of the Victoria's Secret fashion show in New York, U.S., October 30, 2018. (Photo by Kevin Coombs/Reuters)

Horse Racing – Crabbie's Grand National Festival – Aintree Racecourse April 10, 2015: Racegoers react during the 17.15 Weatherbys Wealth Management Champion Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race. (Photo by Andrew Boyers/Reuters)

An alleged albino cub of Jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi) plays at the Conservation Park in Medellin, Colombia, on December 23, 2021. According to environmentalists of the Conservation Park of Medellin, the little Jaguarundi will have to live in captivity as its albinism prevents it to hunt, camouflage, and protect itself from predators in the wild. (Photo by Fredy Builes/AFP Photo)

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)

Artist German Vinogradov acts in the performance of the burning of Maslenitsa tower, devoted to Pancake Week, a pagan holiday marking the end of winter, in the village of Nikola-Lenivets, Kaluga region, Russia, February 25, 2017. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)