Kravitz casts blind eye for film role

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Rock star Lenny Kravitz will play a blind man in his first starring movie role, to be filmed later this year.

Kravitz will play Jake, a sightless radio talk show host, in "The BBC," which stands for The Blind Bastards Club. But Kravitz says his character's group of friends don't let their handicap impair their lives: "They don't let their blindness hold them back. They jump out of planes. They do all kinds of crazy things. They go out at night and party and they pretend they're not blind and get away with it in most cases."

Kravitz's character also has a love interest, "a call girl who has a lot of problems and a lot of issues, and he teaches her to see life. It's kind of a beautiful story."

"The BBC" will be directed by independent filmmaker Ash and also features actors Harvey Keitel, James Woods and John Leguizamo. Kravitz -- who starts a North American concert tour on Sept. 11 in Atlantic City, N.J. -- also expects to write some music for the film.