A young protester takes part in a protest near Tahrir Square to call for the fall of Islamist President on January 24, 2012 in Cairo. (Photo by Mohammed Abed/AFP Photo via The Atlantic)

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.

Two life-size Victorian style dolls shocked Londoners morning December 3, 2015 as the creepy pair popped up at commuter hotspots across the capital to mark the launch of the world's first psychological theme park ride created by Derren Brown, coming to Thorpe Park Resort in 2016. (Photo by Matt Alexander/PA Wire)

In this April 2, 2015 photo, dog owner Laura Aquilina strolls with her two year old Rottweiler Brutus, who was recently fitted with prosthetics on all four paws, and is currently learning to use them, near Aquilina's home in Loveland, Colo. Brutus lost all four paws to frostbite as a puppy while under care of a breeder, and Aquilina began caring for him about a year ago. (Photo by Brennan Linsley/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)

Russian soldiers from 34th motorized infantry mountain brigade, 58th Army, prepare to evacuate a fellow soldier acting as an injured person during a drill at the Darial range outside Russia's city of Vladikavkaz, July 28, 2010. (Photo by Kazbek Basayev/Reuters)

Filipinos cross a swelling river in Las Pinas city, south of Manila, Philippines, 09 July 2015. According to the Philippines State weather forecast, heavy rainfall is expected in Metro Manila and nearby provinces due to an enhanced Southwest Monsoon and Tropical Storm Linfa, Typhoon Chan-hom and Typhoon Nangka which are lining up across the Pacific Ocean. (Photo by Francis R. Malasig/EPA)