ANG LEE slipped into the role of directing erotic scenes for LUST, CAUTION with ease - thanks to the experimental willingness of actress TANG WEI.

The Oscar-winning moviemaker had never tested his talents in the field of eroticism before signing up to direct the steamy World War II drama, and it took two weeks to get the sexual positions right.

But far from being intimidated by the relentless intimacy, uninhibited newcomer Wei enthusiastically launched herself into the off and on-screen sessions - unlike her co-star Tony Leung Chiu Wai.

Lee says, "We spent two weeks on the sex scenes. Tony was a bit nervous. You just have to give him a push, twist his arm a little.

"Tang Wei just gave herself to the part. When we first met, I warned her, ‘I don't know how far I'm going to go with the Lust part.' She said, ‘Don't worry about me. I'm in your hands.' "I had a few positions I'd thought about for the actors, but mostly we were experimenting. I'd go through each position with them: ‘Here, you're yearning for this; here, you're understanding that.' We'd usually try two or three positions a day, and each one would require three or four shots, and that would be it."