People watch on from Marks Park as a thunderstorm gathers off Bondi Beach on November 13, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. The Bureau of Meteorology issued a number of severe weather alerts for the region today, with a high risk of thunderstorms and hail. (Photo by Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)

Lightning streaks across the skies over the coastal port city of Batroun, some 43km north of the Lebanese capital Beirut on December 6, 2023. (Photo by Ibrahim Chalhoub/AFP Photo)

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.

Przemek Pawlicki performs during training in Leszno, Poland on May 12, 2016. A stunning action-packed catalogue of photographs from sporting events around the world has been released by Red Bull. The energy drink giant's photographers have been busy capturing extraordinary images of action sports and some of the world's greatest daredevils. (Photo by Lukasz Nazdraczew/Red Bull/SWNS.com)

Kanphitcha Sungsuk, 21, (C), lines up with young men to speak to officers during an army draft held at a school in Klong Toey, the dockside slum area in Bangkok, Thailand, April 6, 2017. Thailand is widely seen as a paradise for gay and transgender people, but many complain of being treated as second-class citizens and the obligation to respond to the draft can be a nightmare when they turn 21. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

Canberra resident Bruce Gibbons is seen surrounded by grazing kangaroos as he plays a shot during a session on a practice fairway at Gold Creek Golf Club in Canberra, Australia, May 16, 2017. (Photo by Lukas Coch/Reuters/AAP)

Models pose on Harley-Davidson motorbikes during a media presentation of the 36th Bangkok International Motor Show in Bangkok March 24, 2015. The Bangkok International Motor Show will be held from March 25 to April 5. (Photo by Chaiwat Subprasom/Reuters)

Women walk past a mannequin with a covered face as they shop ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid-al-Adha in Aleppo, Syria September 23, 2015. (Photo by Hamid Khatib/Reuters)