Jetting into Cannes Film Festival mid-European tour, Lenny Kravitz makes his acting debut in Lee Daniel's Precious.

Based on the novel Push by Sapphire. Coming to Australian audiences later this year, the film tells the harrowing urban fable of Clareece 'Precious' Jones, a sixteen-year-old Harlem girl born into a shocking life that no one would wish for. Physically and emotionally tortured by her mother, raped and pregnant for the second time by her absent father, Precious' spirit is never crushed. Carrying on from the award-winning acclaim it received at this year's Sundance Film Festival, the film is already a firm favourite on the Croisette.

With Oprah Winfrey as executive producer and featuring Kravitz in his debut screen role (almost unrecognisable as compassionate Nurse John), the film also boasts an unlikely good performance from Mariah Carey as a...wait for it...dowdy zero make-up, cardigan wearing social worker.

Where did you meet Lee Daniels?
Julian Schnabel (artist and director) introduced us at Mr Chow's restaurant one night. We arranged to meet later, as it turned out he'd been trying to get reach me to work with me in the past, but could never get through to me. When we met, we discussed doing some films together, but I couldn't at the time because I was on tour . So when Push came up – as it was called at the time – he called up and said I'd like you to come in and do this character called Nurse John. He said, It's a small role and a couple of days work, so lets knock this out and see how we feel about working together.

So what did you get out of those two days?
It was a very interesting process and very quick, but the thing Lee wanted to do was make me disappear. Starting with: You can't walk like that, you can't move like that, you can't talk like that. Literally within an hour he changed my whole vibe. As I found out when there were the first screenings of the movie, people didn't even know it was me, which I found was hard to believe.

It's a good thing...
It's a great thing and I owe that to Lee. For somebody who does his own thing – I make my own music, I write my own music, I produce my own music, I play all the instruments, I'm known as a control freak as people like to put it. I like to do what I do, but it was really great to first of all do something that I don't normally do and to completely give up all control which I've always had.

He's one of the only nice guys of the film...
I'm glad to be playing a role where really he's the only male character in the movie who is supporting this young woman. He's there for her, amidst his own problems and life. I'm glad it's my first role.

You're currently on tour aren't you?
Yes, I have a show tomorrow - I've got to go back to work!

Where are you playing?
The next concert is in Nante (France). I'm on a European tour for three months celebrating the 20th anniversary of Let Love Rule, my first album.

So will there be more acting once the tour finishes?
We're [Lee Daniels] talking about doing something together, which we can't really talk about it but it'll be a musical. So yes, they'll be more acting.

- Interview by David Michael in Cannes

You can view the Precious movie trailer here on TheVine.