The action legend admits he has occasionally signed up for movies based just for the money on offer, and admits it becomes a problem if the end result is poor.

He said: "On some movies I kind of sold out, got paid a lot and worked for two weeks without really caring about the project.

"If the movie`s bad and you`re good, it doesn`t hurt you. But if you`re bad, it hurts you. If you`re going to sell out, you might as well do your homework. That`s important."

Although he isn`t proud of some of his films, Lundgren - who this year starred in `The Expendables` alongside Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, and Bruce Willis, among a host of other big screen tough guys - is still pleased he appeared in the flops because he has very rarely been out of work.

The 53-year-old actor - who appeared in a number of straight to DVD films in the early part of the decade, including `Hidden Agenda`, `Agent Red` and `Retrograde` - explained: "I suppose I`m successful even when I do bad movies because I keep working.

"I`ve learned that hard work pays off. There`s no shortcut, unfortunately. I`ve always been a hard worker. I`m not always 100 per cent focused, but I`m always working."

Lundgren`s breakthrough came when he starred in `Rocky IV` in 1985 as Russian boxer Ivan Drago who fought Stallone`s fictional pugilist Rocky Balboa.
sections: Celebrities