Playinging the lead role in gay movie Spring Fever is a challenge for Qin Hao. [Jiang Dong]

Before starring in "Spring Fever," which won the Best Screenplay award at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Qin Hao was best known for playing supporting roles in several independent films.

Qin is now better known to more cinephiles thanks to director Lou Ye, who participated in the festival despite a five-year ban on filmmaking imposed by the Chinese authorities, and the film alone picking up an award among the four works by Chinese directors.

"For the first time I experienced how it felt to look at the audience from the stage!" says Qin, 31, of the moment when the cast took the award together with Lou at Cannes a month ago.

"Spring Fever" tells a bizarre love story between three men and a woman and features homosexuality, extramarital affairs, suicide and nude scenes.

Understandably, Qin's decision to play the lead character was not an easy one.

Two years ago, when Lou gave Qin the script of "Spring Fever," he hesitated because of its sensitive subject and the nude scenes.

"First of all, I am not gay. I did not know how to act gay," he says. "Also, my parents are very traditional people who work in government departments. I had to take into account their feelings."

But his intense desire to work with Lou eventually made him agree.

"I have watched Lou's 'Suzhou River' and 'Purple Butterfly.' His characters are so charming and special," he says. "And I appreciate his devotion to filmmaking."

Lou was banned from making any film for five years by the State Administration of Radio, TV and Film in 2006, for entering the uncensored "Summer Palace" in that year's Cannes festival.

Qin realized that "Spring Fever" would probably not be screened in China but still believes he made the right choice.

"As an actor, I did nothing that violates my professional ethics. I just wanted to work with this director," he says.

He persuaded his parents by telling them Lou was a professional and talented director.

When the shooting started, it was much easier than he had expected.

The first sex scene between Qin's character and his boyfriend went smoothly, as Qin was acting opposite an amateur actor Wu Wei, a fresh college graduate.

"His reactions were so natural it was a smart choice on Lou's part," he says.

There were some really difficult scenes, though, but Lou knew how to motivate his lead actor.

"He told me that many people would thank us for shooting this film," Qin says. "When I realized that what I was doing was more than just a film, I felt like I was on some noble mission."

Although some of his friends are gay, Qin says he knew little about their world. To prepare for the film, Lou took the actors to gay bars and asked them to read books and watch films, such as Pedro Almodovar's "Bad Education."

"This is a group that is still under great social pressure in China," says Qin. "I hope those who watch our film will see them in a different light."

Qin was also enthused by Lou's trust in his actors.

In one scene Qin was supposed to "put down the book and look outside the window", as per the script. But after Qin had looked outside for 20 minutes Lou was still silent. Qin had to look back at his boyfriend lying on the bed and interact with him for another 20 minutes, all impromptu. The cinematographer's hands began shaking, as the entire film was shot by hand-held cameras.

When Lou said the final "cut!" both Qin and the cinematographer shouted: "What the hell is going on?"

Lou said: "I think your non-scripted performance was good so I just let you go on."

The film, which Qin says will screen in France and Taiwan this September, is his fifth since graduating from the Central Academy of Drama in 2000 and the first in which he has had the lead role.

(China Daily June 10, 2009)