Rocker-turned-actor Lenny Kravitz was not required to audition for his part in The Hunger Games films - even though he had no idea what the popular series was before he was approached for the role.

In 2012, the American Woman hitmaker made his screen debut as Cinna, the sage stylist to Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen in the blockbuster films, a role he would have never known of if not for The Hunger Games director Gary Ross.

During an interview on U.S. Tv's The Queen Latifah Show on Monday (18Nov13), Kravitz revealed that he was fortunate enough to skip the arduous task of auditioning, since Ross had already spotted his potential from his acclaimed role in 2009's Precious.

He explained, "I was in the Bahamas in the jungle, creating music. And I got a call from Gary Ross. And he had seen my performance in Precious. He thought there were similarities between Nurse John and Cinna, sort of a quiet strength, a mentor. He said, 'If you want the part, come on.'"

While the musician was flattered by the offering, there was one small problem - Kravitz had not heard of the best-selling dystopian book series or its big screen adaptation.

He confessed, "The thing was, I didn't know what The Hunger Games was. So I had to download the book and I was taken immediately by the story and here we are now with the second one coming out."

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire opens in the U.S. later this week (begs18Nov13).