Cannes 2012: Nicole Kidman reveals why she loved playing a 'hot, over-sexed Barbie' in The Paperboy Recalling her initial discussion with director Lee Daniels, Kidman explained: "Lee said, "Look, we've got no money, you're going to have to do your own hair and make-up." So I actually went into my bathroom and I got out the fake tan and put on fake eyelashes and got a hairpiece thing that was platinum, threw it all on and texted a photo to Lee in all these different provocative positions. That's how it came together. What he sent back I can't say, but it was a thumbs up. The actress said she had been seeking a change of direction in her career by choosing more daring roles, and Charlotte Bless fit the bill. "I've been looking as an actor for something raw and more dangerous in terms of performances, and then this came along," she said. "I don't want to ever be pigeon-holed, to be thought of as, "You can't be in that kind of genre." I'm willing to fail but I want to be given a chance to try. That's what still keeps me working at my age. When I don't have that curiosity or desire to do it any more, than I just won't. The film is directed by Daniels (Monster's Ball, Precious) and based on the novel by Pete Dexter. To research the role, Kidman met a group of women who wrote to prisoners on Death Row. I sat down in a room with five women who were all in love with men in prison. They told me stories that were like - wow. Efron, the former teen heart-throb, said he was thrilled to have a love scene with Kidman. I had the most lovely time in the world. I was ecstatic the day I found out she was playing the part," the actor said. I have been in love with her for a long time, since Moulin Rouge. It was the best opportunity in the world for me and I loved every moment. The singer Macy Gray also appears in the film as a housemaid, and she too was thrilled to be in Kidman's presence. I was in character on set except when I saw Nicole. I got really starstruck and just had to say hello," she said.