Lenny Kravitz: Acting culls ego

Lenny Kravitz says acting taught him to "swallow [his ego]".

The American singer-songwriter is known for his successful music career, but made his acting debut in 2009 feature film Precious.

Lenny was a complete novice in the movie field and says his foray into the industry taught him a valuable lesson.

"I never thought of becoming an actor until the day when, in 2008, director Lee Daniels offered me a role in Precious alongside Mariah Carey. Her as a social assistant and me [as a nursing assistant.] As far as music is concerned, I have always controlled everything. Being an actor taught me to swallow my ego!" he admitted in an interview with French publication L'Express.

"I've just finished filming Hunger Games, from Gary Ross, with Jennifer Lawrence. It's a science-fiction movie set in a dark future where a reality TV game has been created for controlling the population using fear.

"I play Cinna, a stylist who designs the clothes for the contestants."

Lenny's latest musical offering is Black and White America, which denounces the resurgence of racial hate in the USA. The singer's father was of Russian Jewish descent and his mother's ancestors are Bahamian and African-American.

Lenny says the record is a significant one.

"[The album] reveals who I am. I was born in 1964, in the midst of a period fighting for civil rights, during a period where people pointed their finger at interracial couples; when my father and my mother walked in the street, people used to spit on them. At school, kids nicknamed me 'the zebra' and they called my parents Mr. Day and Mrs. Night," he revealed. "When I was 15, during my first shows, I created my character of Romeo Blue. I straightened my hair and I wore blue lenses, but my mother helped me to accept both my identities."

Lenny insists there are still too many labels in music. The flamboyant star thinks people should accept his music for what it is.

"The beginning of my career wasn't easy though - my music wasn't black enough for black people but too much of it for the white rockers," he mused.

"In the US, I can still hear people talking about me saying, 'A black rockstar, it doesn't exist!' Miles Davis? And Jimi Hendrix?"

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