Movie posters of 'The Golden Era'

'The Golden Era' closes Venice Film Festival

He is glad he finally got to play the character and is proud that he didn't disappoint the 67-year-old director, who applauded his performance at a Beijing media conference in September.

He cites a scene on the set in frigid Harbin in northern China's Heilongjiang province, where he had to dump a bucket of icy water on his own head. "I almost froze, but it did have a pretty good effect," Feng recalls, smiling.

Tan Hong, the producer of The Golden Era, reveals that Feng had asked not to be paid to support the director he has always admired, as the budget for the movie was only 3.7 million yuan ($603,000), which was tight for a full-length movie starring A-list stars.

According to Chinese entertainment websites, a showbiz celebrity can easily pick up about 10 to 30 million yuan when starring in a movie. The going rate for Tang Wei - the youngest Golden Eagle-winning actress - for example, is 30 million yuan a film.

When asked if this is a "golden era" for Chinese stars to raise their stature in more mature movie markets such as Hollywood, Feng is dismissive. "Obviously the era is different. But it's not worthwhile to appear in a movie for just a few seconds, even if it is directed by a top international director," he says.

"I don't care for cameos. I already have an excellent stage to showcase my talent in China, so why should I go to the West?"

But some industry insiders believe that Feng is among the few top Chinese mainland stars who may have a future in Hollywood.