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.

Models promote a condom brand at the first Shenzhen s*x Culture Festival on September 21, 2007 in Shenzhen of Guangdong Province, China. The festival aims to increase awareness about reproductive health and popularise s*x education. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

Every man looks better with a beard. Here's proof.

Julia Gunthel aka Zlata is just a lovely person who lives and operates in Germany. She is just 27 year-old and is considered to be the absolute most flexible/ bendiest person in the world. Remarkably she is also included in the Guinness Book of Records for a bit. Julia can very quickly hide in a package of 50x50 cm. She currently broke many earth files simply because of her unbelievable flexibility.

“Slow”. A calm cow in the messy streets of Jodhpur. Photo location: India. (Photo and caption by Matthias Troeger/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Model Bar Refaeli arrives at amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS 2007 at Le Moulin de Mougins on May 23, 2007 in Mougins, France. The amfAR Foundation raises funds for research, education and treatment of AIDS/HIV worldwide.

Photos of Edward Snowden, a contractor at the National Security Agency (NSA), and U.S. President Barack Obama are printed on the front pages of local English and Chinese newspapers in Hong Kong in this illustration photo June 11, 2013. Snowden, who leaked details of top-secret U.S. surveillance programs, dropped out of sight in Hong Kong on Monday ahead of a likely push by the U.S. government to have him sent back to the United States to face charges. (Photo by Bobby Yip/Reuters)