There aren’t many Bollywood actors who can boast of working in mainstream Hollywood projects. And Irrfan is very much aware of this fact. However, he doesn’t care about the relatively smaller roles he gets to portray in Western films as he feels that ultimately what counts is the overall story.

Irrfan, who has earlier appeared in international films like A Mighty Heart, Slumdog Millionaire, The Darjeeling Limited and The Amazing Spider-Man, is thrilled about working in Ang Lee’s upcoming 3D film. But the role is shorter compared to all the meatier characters he’s used to playing in Bollywood movies.

“As a performer, it is immaterial whether my role has a longer onscreen presence or not. Besides, I don’t decide which actor gets more coverage. All I can do is perform in the best way I can and that’s what I try to do in every single film I sign up for,” says the 45-year-old actor.

Given the acceptance he commands in world cinema, a higher paycheck is likely to be assumed. Nevertheless Irrfan destroys this myth, “People conveniently presume that I must be paid like anything in Hollywood but that’s not the case. Sometimes I even lose money despite being an actor. I just prefer not to complain. It’s not like I’m getting $1 million per film or something! The experience matters more to me.”