In this photo taken on Wednesday, January 9, 2013, ahead of the Chinese lunar new year of the Snake, following the Chinese zodiac, genetically modified, auspicious, white snakes slither across the altar at the Temple of White Snakes in Taoyuan county, in north western Taiwan. Director of the temple Mr. Lo Chin-shih says the new year of the snake would be a time of steady progress, in contrast to the more turbulent nature of the outgoing year of the dragon. The Chinese new year fall on February 10. (Photo by Wally Santana/AP Photo)

“By 1969, the fashion choices of tens of millions of young American men and women were as variegated and ever-evolving as the world around them. Cultural transformation was an irresistible force during the Sixties, and across America and around the globe civil rights, women’s and gay liberation, the sexual revolution and, of course, the explosive soundtrack of R&B, soul and rock and roll informed everything from politics to fashion”. – LIFE. Photo: Corona del Mar High School students Kim Robertson, Pat Auvenshine and Pam Pepin wear “hippie” fashions, 1969. (Photo by Arthur Schatz/Time & Life Pictures)

This bat gives a cheeky smile as he gobbles down his food at Singapore Zoo, on September 10, 2013. (Photo by Benny Iskander/HotSpot Media)

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.

In this handout photo provided by Warner Brothers Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures, Tom Cruise plays Lieutenant Colonel Bill Cage, a soldier who replays his last day while trying to fight aliens, in director Doug Liman's “All You Need Is Kill”. The film is set to premiere on March 14, 2014. (Photo by David James/Warner Brothers Pictures)

A Tibetan rider fires his weapon as he perfoms his riding skills at the Qinghai Yushu Horse Racing Festival on July 27, 2007 in Yushu County of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, northwest China. The Horse Racing Festival of Tibetan nomads in Yushu Prefecture falls in late July and early August on the Tibetan calendar. During the festival, various equestrian skills will be performed along with singing, dancing and costume shows. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

A British Spitfire and an American P-51 Mustang from Ultimate Warbird Flights take to the Northamptonshire on August 14, 2020 skies to mark the 75th anniversary of VJ Day. (Photo by Richard Pohle/The Times)