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.

In this handout photograph received from Sumukha J.N on December 15, 2016, the newly-discovered spider Eriovixia Gryffindori sits on a leaf in the Kans in India's Western Ghats. (Photo by Sumukha J.N./AFP Photo)

Swimmers in the Sky Pool, a transparent swimming pool suspended 35 meters above ground between two apartment buildings, during hot weather in Nine Elms, central London on Monday, August 12, 2024. (Photo by James Manning/PA Images via Getty Images)

Pamukkale, Turkey, is home to these terrace pools, formed by the build-up of carbonate mineral from the warm water flowing from the thermal springs above. (Photo by Image Courtesy of Jennifer Hayes/Getty Images)

Vaccinators wear protective masks as they get their temperature checked, during an anti-polio campaign, in a low-income neighborhood as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Karachi, Pakistan on July 20, 2020. (Photo by Akhtar Soomro/Reuters)

A reveller takes part in the Gay Pride Parade in San Salvador, on June 24, 2017. (Photo by Marvin Recinos/AFP Photo)

Model Bella Hadid falls as she walks the runway at the Michael Kors Spring 2017 Runway Show duing New York Fasion Week at Spring Studios on September 14, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Rex Features)

Zurich soccer player Loris Benito tries to catch a marten during the Swiss Super League match between FC Thun and FC Zurich in Thun, Switzerland, March 10, 2013. (Photo by Marcel Bieri/Keystone)