CATNIP: LENNY KRAVITZ TALKS THE HUNGER GAMES ON CNN

While promoting his new album "Black and White America," Lenny talked with CNN about The Hunger Games, including why he thinks he was cast, how he feels about Jennifer Lawrence, and his thoughts on Cinna's look.

CNN: I am a Katniss fan, of course, but Cinna feels like the heart of the series.

Kravitz: It's funny, a lot of people say that. Why do you say that?

CNN: Because he's got Katniss' back. He's very supportive, but he's also really subversive.

Kravitz: That's why ["Hunger Games" director] Gary Ross called me; because he said he'd seen Precious and he liked how I underplayed the character. It's not a similar role, but in a sense it's got a similar quality because [Nurse John] was the only backup for ["Precious"].

CNN: Have you seen costume sketches or anything?

Kravitz: Not a thing! Not a thing! That's why I'm just as curious as you.

CNN: But Cinna's not that crazy looking. He wears all black and gold eyeliner.

Kravitz: He's kinda slick, right?

CNN: Have you met Jennifer Lawrence?

Kravitz: Yes, I know her actually because she did "X-Men: First Class" with my daughter, [Zoë Kravitz], so she spent a lot of time in my house in Paris when they were filming in London. That was another thing about casting me: [Ross] said, I heard that Jennifer was in your house all summer and that you were taking care of the kids and they were cooking. I had the whole cast, like six, seven kids in my house on the movie so I got to know all of them before I had even seen them in action. So Jennifer and I ended up becoming friendly. She's really sweet. And then I saw her in "Winter's Bone" and I was like, "Oh, wow. This girl is for real."