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.

Super-cell thunderstorms, whirling tornados and lightning bolts illuminating the sky – these photos capture the terrifying brilliance of American storms. (Photo by Brandon Goforth/Solent News & Photo Agency)

Reuters photographers Carlos Barria and Bobby Yip photographed protestors and details of life on the barricades, asking demonstrators what their role was in the movement, and what they wanted to happen. Here: Crystal, 15, a part-time boutique sales assistant, poses on Nathan Road in Mongkok shopping district in Hong Kong October 7, 2014. Holding a walkie talkie for fast communication with other supporters, Crystal said, “I am not demanding Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to quit, but (want) to protect protesters from being threatened badly by opponents and the police”. (Photo by Bobby Yip/Reuters)

Egmont National Park in New Zealand with Mt. Taranaki at its center is seen in a Landsat 8 satellite image taken July 3, 2014 and released by NASA November 14, 2014. The image is from the book “Sanctuary: Exploring the World's Protected Areas from Space”, published by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies with support from NASA, which was released this week. (Photo by Reuters/NASA/USGS)

A devotee of the Chinese Bang Neow Shrine, with two plastic guns pierced through his cheeks, takes part in a street procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket September 29, 2014. The festival, featuring face-piercing, spirit mediums and strict vegetarianism celebrates the local Chinese community's belief that abstinence from meat and various stimulants during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar will help them obtain good health and peace of mind. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

A woman eats and struggles with her umbrella against powerful gusts of wind generated by typhoon Megi across the the island in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, September 27, 2016. Schools and offices have been closed on Taiwan and people in dangerous areas have been evacuated as a large typhoon with 162 kilometers (100 miles) per-hour winds approaches the island. (Photo by Chiang Ying-ying/AP Photo)

A group of frogs hitched a lift on a passing crocodile. Clearly comfortable in the croc’s company the amphibians wait patiently for their chauffeur to move. But the bemused crocodile doesn’t appear to be going anywhere in a hurry. The hilarious images were captured by Tanto Yensen, 36, from Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photo by Tanto Yensen/Media Drum World Photo Agency)

Lawmakers from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and ruling AK Party (R) scuffle during a debate on a legislation to boost police powers, at the Turkish Parliament in Ankara, Turkey, February 19, 2015. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)