Lee, who is in the twilight of a career in which he became the first fast bowler to clock 150 km/h of pace 'n' power every year for the last 20 summers, sat in between takes in an airconditioned actor's trailer that Hugh Jackman would expect and opened up about the pain of pace and why he enjoyed it.

With a world of movies, music, fashion and media opening to him, it was hard to fathom why Lee willingly embraced his masochistic streak when it would be so very easy to enjoy red carpet launches, cocktails, canapes and the celebrity lifestyle.

"No one understands it unless they're a fast bowler," he said. "I haven't been pain-free since I was 18. If I was trying to play pain-free, I wouldn't have played a game since then but if you push through the pain barrier you never know what lies ahead.

"That's the reason I'm playing. There'll be a time when I say 'enough is enough' and while I'll make that call when I'm ready I know it'll feel weird  ... it doesn't yet, even though I'm not playing Test cricket, or one-dayers and Twenty20 for Australia, I still play.

"It's hard to break it down to ability versus talent or talent versus that mental drive. I don't know the percentage but when it comes to competing against a great batsman and it's hot, humid, the pitch isn't conducive to fast bowling and your body is hurting, you need to put all that aside and ensure your body can run in at that same pace and speed, smash that front ankle down time after time after time ... it actually hurts to sit here and think about what I've gone through over the years."

Lee believed other quicks had it in them to follow his successful longevity. He identified South African speed merchant Dale Steyn and Australians Mitchell Johnson and Pat Cummins as a trio possessed by the madness needed to defy the logic that forced "normal" humans to take a spell.

"To me the hardest thing for a fast bowler isn't what wicket he's bowling on, what shoes he's wearing, or the batsman he's up against," he said. "The hardest opponent is your own body, your mind. They're the two hardest obstacles you must overcome as a fast bowler.

"I'd love to see a Pat Cummins enjoy longevity and success. He's 21 and I know a lot of people are aware he's had a few injuries and they'll ask 'why is he injured?'.

"If they look back at when Dale Steyne and I were Pat's age, fast bowlers pick up injuries. I'm very excited what's in line for a young bloke like Pat. I like to push him. I see something in him you don't in a lot of bowlers coming through. Yes, you have guys who can bowl 140 km/h seam-up but Pat Cummins can bowl up to that 150 km/h a mark and he swings the ball both ways.

"When I see Pat in action, he reminds me you can't buy raw pace."

Lee admitted he was out of his comfort zone – but loving – his role as an English language teacher named Will in the romantic comedy movie UnIndian which was being directed by Anupam Sharma and co-starring Tannishtha Chatterjee, who plays Lee's love interest.

While Lee hoped he had left an on-field legacy of giving "100 per cent" to future cricketers, he wanted his decision to "have a crack" at acting and recording a hit song with Asha Bhosle in 2007 to encourage others to test their limits.

"This movie is something like 117 scenes, it's a romantic comedy, it has a stellar cast and crew, a great director in Sharma while Tannishtha is the real deal, she's a highly loved actress," he said. "It's not a little cameo by me and it has nothing to do with cricket.

"I saw it as a massive opportunity and thought 'why not give it a go?'. This way, there'll be no regrets."

While he might not have trod the boards in London's West End or Broadway, Lee has definitely suffered for his trademark art – and on some of cricket's biggest stages.