Girls play with their new dolls during the distribution of free toys for low-income families and a picture on the lap of one of the Three Wise Men at Almudena Cathedral in Madrid, Spain, December 22, 2015. Traditionally, children in Spain receive their presents delivered by the Three Wise Men on the morning of January 6 during the Christian holiday of the Epiphany. (Photo by Susana Vera/Reuters)

A group of men play Myanmar's traditional sport of chinlone in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Friday, November 18, 2016. (Photo by Aung Shine Oo/AP 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.

Lali carries balloons to sell on a beach in Mumbai, India, Sunday, October 11, 2015. The United Nations General Assembly marks October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. (Photo by Rafiq Maqbool/AP Photo)

The northeastern United States sweltered this week in a scorching summer heat wave, complete with stagnant, sticky air and no winds for relief, forecasters said. Even in a summer already filled with stretches of very hot weather, this week will be stubbornly brutal, with no relief in sight until the weekend brings thunderstorms to the region, they said. "Plain and simple, this week may feel the worst of any week for this summer in the Northeast," said Accuweather.com meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. (Reuters)

A six-year-old acrobat performs on the opening of a tourist festival in Bozhou, Anhui province, China May 3, 2015. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

An Indian women offers early-morning prayers or a “puja” at a ghat early in the morning on the banks of the Betawa River in Orchha in the state of Madhya Pradesh on July 5, 2015. (Photo by Rebecca Conway/AFP Photo)

A participant covered in coloured powder gestures as she stands near a Syrian army soldier during “I Love Damascus” marathon at Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria October 7, 2016. (Photo by Omar Sanadiki/Reuters)