A flock of Adjutants storks sit on a garbage dump at Borgaon in Guwahati, Assam, India, 17 October 2019. Wildlife activists and environmentalists have protested in the past for shifting the garbage dump to another site since it is situated near the Deepor Beel Bird Sanctuary. (Photo by EPA/EFE/Stringer)

A kid casts his hand's shadow as kids play with light in “L'art dans la nature, Dali universe” an open air light show at Parc de la Villette in Paris, France on November 19, 2023. (Photo by Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)

A serviceman of the 148th Separate Artillery Zhytomyr Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine sits near shells as he and a soldier await command to fire a M777 Howitzer towards Russian troops at a position in a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on February 8, 2025. (Photo by Anatolii Stepanov/Reuters)

Vanessa, thirty-five, had three children with an abusive husband. She “lost her mind, started doing heroin”, after losing the children, who were taken away and given to her mother. The drugs led to homelessness and prostitution. She grew up on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, but now spends her time in Hunts Point, “trying to survive everyday. Just doing whatever it takes”.

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.

The Rio de Janeiro Olympics kick off on August 5 for some two weeks of competitive games drawing athletes as well as audiences from around the world. As they prepare to cover the event, Reuters photographers look back on their favourite pictures from past Olympics where they captured the action on the ground as well as the participants' tears and joy that followed. (Photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

A picture made available on 09 October 2016 shows competitors during a Legion Run event, in Sofiko near the city of Corinth, Greece, 08 October 2016. Legion Run is run covering five kilometres with obstacles of mud, fire, ice and barbed wire, which takes place in different countries around the globe. (Photo by Vassilis Psomas/EPA)

Rugby Union, New Zealand vs Tonga, IRB Rugby World Cup 2015 Pool C, St James' Park, Newcastle, Englandon October 9, 2015: Fans is fancy dress before the game. (Photo by Andrew Yates/Reuters)