During the recent Los Angeles press junket for The Hunger Games, I landed an exclusive interviews with the cast and director Gary Ross.  While I already posted my conversations with Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth, I decided to wait to post Lenny Kravitz figuring the movie would do well and fans would love to get some fresh content after the film had opened. However, while I thought Hunger Games would do well, I never figured it would be one of the biggest openings of all time and make $155 million dollars in three days! Needless to say, due to the box office, fans are definitely getting sequels.Anyway, since Kravitz had been doing a lot of press before the film opened, I tried to ask some new questions like whatâs his favorite movie, director and actor, how did he decide the look of Cinna, what made him want to play this role, what did his friends and family think when he got cast, how many takes does he like to do, and a lot more. In addition, Kravitz tells a great story involving Mick Jagger and karaoke. Hit the jump to either read or listen to the interview.Based on Suzanne Collinsâ novel and produced by Nina Jacobson, The Hunger Games stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Lenny Kravitz, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Wes Bentley , Alexander Ludwig, Isabelle Fuhrman and Amandla Stenberg.  For more on the film, hereâs three clips and six minutes of behind-the-scenes footage, as well as all our previous coverage.As usual, Iâm offering two ways to get the interview: you can either click here for the audio, or the full transcript is below. Do you have a favorite movie, director, and actor? Or do you have some favorites?KRAVITZ: I have favorites. My favorite movie, if I had to pick one: Manhattan. Iâm a Woody Allen fanatic. You have to understand I grew up in New York City, half Jew, half African-American. I really relate to my Upper East Side, pseudointellectual, Jewish guilt---the whole thing. Thereâs a lot of Woody Allen in my life. I lived between a Spike Lee film and a Woody Allen film. Because I also grew up in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn. So I had both sides. My favorite director: Fellini, Iâd have to say. And my favorite actor⦠Thatâs a hard one, but I have to say De Niro.Getting back to Manhattan, which is one of my favorite films, itâs interesting that Woody doesnât hold it in such a bright light, the way that we all do. But that opening shot is fucking amazing.KRAVITZ: Of Woody? Coming through on the train?Also the fireworks over Central Park. Itâs amazing. Sorry I have to put myself in there. I love the film. I ask this of everybody: What is your go-to karaoke song? Have you ever actually done karaoke?KRAVITZ: Iâve never done karaoke. Iâve never done it. Isnât that weird? Iâll tell you my favorite karaoke moment, which is not karaoke per se. I was on vacation with Mick Jagger once, several years ago. He was on a world tour. This is what we do. The throat is a muscle. So if youâre touring, you have to build up the strength of your voice. Now all of a sudden if you have a month off and you donât sing, that first show, youâre gonna not be happening. And you might get hoarse, and it fucks up the whole next leg of the tour. So you have to keep singing. We were having dinner and he said, âLenny, excuse me, Iâll be back in about 45 minutes.â So he goes downstairs and all of a sudden Iâm hearing âBrown Sugar.â And Iâm hearing Mick. What Mick is doing (because I had to peep), he was dancing around and doing Rolling Stones karaoke to keep his breath up and to keep his voice up so that he would stay up on his off time. He had a band tape of Stones with no vocals that they would record at sound check, right? Heâs doing Mick Jagger karaoke downstairs, and Iâm listening to this. I was like, âThis is the best moment of my life.âThatâs awesome. Thatâs fucking awesome. Iâm going to jump into the movie now.KRAVITZ: Sorry, we went off the movie.No, I do this on purpose because you canât just talk about the same stuff. Talk a little bit about your look in the movie. You have a little bit of makeup going. I havenât read the book. In the book, how much is that you, and talk a little bit about the middle ground.KRAVITZ: I talked about the gold, but I wasnât sure how outrageous he was, or could be. A lot of kids who read the book, when they thought I was playing Cinna said, âOh, youâre playing the gay guy. The really flamboyant guy.â People donât really know--- like, what is he? I guess they also assume because heâs a stylist and heâs got gold eyeliner. But what I thought was interesting was letâs make him right down the middle. You donât know what he is. It doesnât matter. Letâs pull him back. Gary [Ross] and I spoke and we were like, âLetâs pull him back.â And I was like, âYeah, I see him more as a Tom Ford or an Yves Saint Laurent.â Great designers, they dress classic. That was my inspiration.Thatâs the portrayal I saw on screen. You act selectively. You donât do a lot of movies. What was it about the material and this character that youâre like, âI want to be a part of this.âKRAVITZ: I fell in love with the book. As soon as Gary called---because I didnât know what the book was---he offers me the role and says I can have the role. Just show up. But Iâm like, âI donât know what the hell this is.â So I read the book and fell in love with the book. Thought it was great storytelling. Iâve been wanting to move forward after Precious. I really enjoy doing this. Here was a good opportunity to work with a great director, a great book, a great cast. I was like, âIâm in.âWhat was the reaction when you started telling friends or family that you were going to be doing this.KRAVITZ: Well, I didnât know how big the book was. So Iâm telling people and all these kids are like, âWhat? Youâre doing Hunger Games? Youâre playing Cinna?â Everywhere I was going. And I was like, âHow did I miss this?â Everybodyâs kid had read the book. Everyone. Even adults: âOh, I read the book, too. The books are great. I read all three of them.â âReally?â People were blown away that I got this. All of a sudden my cool factor went up with the youth, man.Some people like the two-take method, the Clint Eastwood. Some actors like doing the David Fincher method of 50 takes.KRAVITZ: I like the 1-2 times. Because thatâs how I do music. I like when youâre not quite sure what youâre doing. I like that edge. Any song youâve heard on my album, that was the first or second take. And the vocal is always right when Iâve just written it. Iâll write the vocal and Iâll still have the words on a music stand. And I donât really know them, but I know them because Iâve just written them. I like that edge, because then you get mistakes. Mistakes are the best part. Thereâs so many mistakes on my records. âMistakesâ that are the spice, thatâs the thing that made it. Same thing with doing takes. I like to just nail it. But Iâm there to please the director. So if he wants to do it ten times, we do it ten times.Iâm running out of time with you, but really quick. Youâve won a lot of awards in your career. Is there one that stands out more than the others, that means that much more to you?KRAVITZ: Iâm proud of the four Grammys that I got in a row because no one has done that. It was four in a row for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. And I think the record was two in a row.My final thing, for your music fans. Whatâs the story with you doing more tours?KRAVITZ: Black and White America is out, and Iâve already done South America, Europe, and America. I just finished America last week. And now Iâm going to Japan, Korea, and Australia. And then back to Europe for a summer tour. So Iâm on the road. For more Hunger Games interviews from the recent Los Angeles press junket:Jennifer Lawrence Talks The Hunger Games, the Mall Tour, Director Gary Ross, and MoreJosh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth Talk The Hunger Games, the Sequels, and MoreProducer Nina Jacobson Talks The Hunger Games, Sequels, the Violence, and MoreElizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz and Wes Bentley Interview The Hunger GamesDonald Sutherland The Hunger Games InterviewAlexander Ludwig, Isabelle Fuhrman and Amandla Stenberg Interview The Hunger Games
Lenny Kravitz Talks THE HUNGER GAMES, Favorite Movie, Director and Actor, and Tells a Great Karaoke Story Involving Mick Jagger
Lenny Kravitz THE HUNGER GAMES Interview. Lenny Kravitz Talks THE HUNGER GAMES, Favorite Movie, and Tells a Great Karaoke Story Involving Mick Jagger