For those of us who’ve been following each and every production detail of “The Hunger Games,” the casting process was perhaps the most intriguing element to dissect and overanalyze.

One of the most interesting casting announcements was Lenny Kravitz landing the role of sensitive, sympathetic stylist Cinna. When MTV News caught up with Kravitz recently, we asked the Grammy-winning musician-turned-actor to tell us how he ended up with the role.

via Lenny Kravitz Explains ‘Subdued’ Cinna In ‘Hunger Games’ – MTV Movie News| MTV.

Lenny Kravitz recently opened up about taking on the role of Cinna, the stylist and quiet mentor of Jennifer Lawrence’s character in the adaptation of The Hunger Games, and explains that he was immediately drawn to the role after reading the script for the film, directed by Gary Ross!

He explains:

“I thought it was really good storytelling. I’m very much into stories. The character was interesting. I like [director Gary Ross's] previous work. And I said, ‘Yeah, let’s go,’ [Cinna]‘s very streamlined, he’s very quiet. He knows what he’s doing. He’s confident. He’s got a big heart. I just liked the way he moved – very smooth.”

via Lenny Kravitz Talks His Role In The Hunger Games! | PerezHilton.com.

The character posters for eight of the cast of The Hunger Games are hitting all over the web and we have the exclusive character poster debut for Cinna, Katnisss stylist, who designs and makes all of her very elaborate outfits for the games. He will be played by rocker Lenny Kravitz in the movie. Cinna is described as always wearing simple black clothes, and he leaves his hair its natural dark brown color, close cropped. His only distinct feature is a slight touch of gold eyeliner that brings out the gold flecks in his eyes.

via Exclusive: Cinna from The Hunger Games Character Poster Premiere! – Fandango.com.

Us: One thing that has been interesting is that you’re also an actor now. You made a big turn in Precious. Are you looking to go more into acting?

LK: I really like it, I have to say. I was an actor when I was a kid and I gave it up for music because music was just it for me and now it just feels right. I’m in North Carolina right now filming The Hunger Games. I love it. The reason I think I love it is because I love being directed. With my music, it is extremely self-indulgent — I write it, I play all the instruments, I arrange it, I do all the stuff and so it’s all about me, which is fine, that’s what it is. I love being on the other end. I show up and I’m there to help somebody to bring out their vision and I really like that.

US: How has it been working with Jennifer Lawrence?

LK: Oh man, I shot a scene with her yesterday and it was just the two of us, where our characters meet, and she is unbelievable. I hate comparisons, but she is a young Meryl Streep. This girl is for real and just acting with her, it just brought it to a level where she pulled me in so deeply, and the scene just became so real and at the end we had to pop out of it. It was someplace we had gone into and it was really beautiful. I learned actually a lot from her yesterday and she is fantastic.

US: You knew her through Zoe before you started filming, right?

LK: Yes, and that makes it even more odd. She is a family friend and all of the sudden you have to be serious because when we are all together we are all quite silly. My daughter, her friends…we are quite a silly bunch, but it was great.

Us: What has it been like shooting your scenes in the Capitol world?

LK: I am going to leave that to surprise, I am sure the director would want to talk about it himself but he is an amazing director, he really has a way of pulling things out of the actors, he is an actor himself, so he comes from that, he was trained by the best. He is director that knows how to do everyone else’s job as well, so he knows what he is talking about and I like that because I identify with that. When it comes to music, I can get up on stage and play everyone’s parts for them, well because I play it in the studio, I can just identify with getting a grip on what is happening.

Us: Has the movie stayed true to the book do you think?

LK: I’ve only seen my part, but I think it is great.

via Lenny Kravitz Admits Getting Romance Advice From Daughter Zoe – UsMagazine.com.

Lenny Kravitz will be on David Letterman tonight. Tune in to check him out. Check you you local listing to see channel and time. 

To prepare for his upcoming role as steadfast stylist Cinna in the big-screen adaptation of “The Hunger Games,” rocker Lenny Kravitz is busying himself reading Suzanne Collins’ best-selling series—something he didn’t do before landing the plum part. Yet, he may have gotten some of his best training on the job as an eclectically-clothed musician over the past three decades.

When MTV News’ James Montgomery caught up with Lenny in anticipation of his August release, Black and White America, Lenny noted that like his character, he is big into fashion—for better or for worse.

via Lenny Kravitz Shares A Love Of Fashion With ‘Hunger Games’ Character.

For the next two days, Lenny Kravitz is giving away his new tune “Rock Star City Life” for free. The uptempo rocker, which you can stream above or download via the widget below, was the last song to come out of the recording sessions for his album Black and White America (due August 30th).

Kravitz cut “Rock Star City Life” after nearly two years working on and off at his home studio in the Bahamas. “The process was longer than any other time I’ve made an album,” he tells Rolling Stone. “I definitely prolonged it. There were points where I said, ‘The album’s done.’ Then I’d go to Europe and be playing it in the car, and I’m like, ‘No, I hear more stuff.’ It’s the first time that I’ve gone this far in shaping, reshaping, shaping, reshaping, shaping, reshaping. And the result is that I’m actually 100 percent satisfied with every millisecond of the album.”

Adds Kravitz: “‘Rock Star City Life’ was the last song, and I just knew [the album] was done. It was time.”

via Download Lenny Kravitz’s New Song ‘Rock Star City Life’ | Rolling Stone Music.

“The Hunger Games” has an impressive cast of new talent, unknowns and renowned stars that puts any franchise movie to shame, but one of the most surprising casting decisions made by director Gary Ross was to choose rocker Lenny Kravitz to play stylist Cinna.

When MTV News caught up with Kravitz to chat about his forthcoming album, Black and White America (due out August 30), he said he’s finally read the first of Suzanne Collins’ “Hunger Games” trilogy.

Cinna — whose name often gets misinterpreted as “Sinner” when Kravitz says it, he told us — is one of the most significant secondary characters throughout the “Hunger Games” trilogy. The brilliant costumes he creates for leading lady Katniss Everdeen before the games help give her the confidence that she needs to get through a televised battle-to-the-death with 23 other teens. And his very subtle form of rebellion against the oppressive Capitol is not without consequences.

via Lenny Kravitz Reads Up On ‘Hunger Games’ Character – MTV Movie News| MTV.