Vanity Fair photographer Howard Schatz encourages actors to place themselves in a series of emotional and dramatic situations to reveal the ‘essence of their characters’. Whether he succeeds or not, the resulting conjoined triplets are pretty arresting.

From top: Brendan Fraser, John Slattery, Thomas Haden Church, Jane Krakowski, John Goodman, Whoopie Goldberg and Jane Lynch, who was offered the following scenarios:

Left: You’re a child swallowing a spoonful of medicine that your mom promised would taste good, and now she’s telling you that if it didn’t taste awful it wouldn’t work. Centre: You’re at a social dinner with your work colleagues and their spouses, desperately trying to signal your partner to stop talking so freely about your shared sex life. Right: You’re a bunny-level skier who has decided to try a black-diamond slope, and now, with no idea how to stop, you’re headed straight for a tree.

Actors In Character – Now That Is Acting (25 pix) (MediaDump)