Great actors seek out exceptional scenarios in order to bring out the best of themselves. They continually test themselves by entering into situations where they have to rise and strengthen in order to cope. This constant striving, constant working, gives their life a meaning. Their work, and it’s impact, matter.

Lino Ventura is one such actor. In Jean-Pierre Melville’s World War Two masterpiece, Army Of Shadows, he plays Philippe Gerbier, the Marseille-based leader of a Resistance cell fighting the NAZI Occupation. Life in the Resistance, as depicted in Melville’s film, is a perilous one of grim determination and repressed identity – members needed to pretend they were ordinary, obedient citizens in order to conceal their true activities. If captured, the NAZI’s would torture them in order to extract information about the movement.  In fact, many carried cyanide pills so they could commit suicide rather than blab. Ventura’s Gerbier is an exemplary Resistance fighter. He’s tough, mentally and physically, with a granite willpower. He carries out his work without compromise – it’s nothing personal, it’s about getting the job done and advancing the cause. Plus, he is stoical; striving not to show his emotions or ever complain. His belief in the Resistance provides him with the self-discipline necessary to cope with such a high-risk life-style. And he is courageous because he takes action even when he feels frightened.

To describe Philippe Gerbier is to describe Lino Ventura himself. Why? Because Gerbier does not exist while Ventura very much does. There is no character. What we witness in Army Of Shadows is Ventura’s strength, his willpower, his stoicism, his self-discipline, his courage, his grim determination and his belief. It’s him up there on the big screen speaking Melville’s dialogue. Lino Ventura coded as Philippe Gerbier.

The fictional scenarios of Army Of Shadows are extreme. Their exceptional nature forces Ventura to his limit and perhaps past it. His effort to act out the fictional life of Philippe Gerbier activates his exceptional qualities and skills. In consequence, we witness a great performance. A weaker actor could not have coped, they would not have possessed the strength to successfully create the illusion of the character.

Great performances happen when an extraordinary individual functions at their optimum, in full view. They are demonstrations of the exceptional.  If a young actor wants to become a great actor then, they need to turn themselves into an exceptional individual and seek out exceptional scenarios.

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