"I don't want to call myself a Hollywood star because I still feel like an outsider at this moment," Zhang was quoted as saying in postmagazine, the South China Morning Post's Sunday magazine.

"Hollywood is, of course, an ideal place for any actor or actress, because it draws the best talent in the world, and being part of the scene has given me access to a wider scope of scripts and roles," she reportedly said.

"But at this time I still feel like a transient; it's not my world," Zhang said.

Zhang said she initially had a hard time getting into character in the upcoming "Memoirs of a Geisha" because of the English dialogue but eventually overcame the language barrier.

The Chinese star said Hollywood's big budgets may not translate into better quality,

"Everything in Hollywood is big-budget and sophisticated, but it doesn't necessarily mean bigger is better," Zhang said.

"For me it's not where the film is made but the story itself that is important. I think 'The Road Home' was an excellent film for me as an actress but it cost very little to make compared with Hollywood movies," Zhang reportedly said, referring to one of her first films, directed by China's Zhang Yimou.

Zhang said working with Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai on the romance "2046" was a "strange process" because there wasn't a clear script _ an approach Wong is known for.

"But I got to know myself better as an actress and that's something I keep personally," Zhang said.

She said she wasn't a film buff growing up and only truly discovered her passion for acting when making the martial arts movie "Hero," another Zhang Yimou film.