Macy Gray Reveals Nicole Kidman Inspiration

Macy Gray has a habit of being late. The "I Try" singer has admitted to being fired "a million times" thanks to her "terrible habit of being late," but was uncharacteristically conscientious on the set of "The Paperboy," which also stars Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey and John Cusack.

According to Gray, who plays the film's narrator, her co-stars' professionalism inspired her punctuality.

"What was really cool was that Nicole Kidman stayed totally in character the whole time we were filming and even had her acting coach with her," the gravelly voiced crooner revealed. "So that taught me a lot. You can never relax. You should always work to get better and always be a student, no matter how good you get."

Gray went on to explain how Kidman's hard work impressed her with her own work ethic. "That's Nicole Kidman, and she's still getting coached. You know what I mean? You get to see why people are where they are. Hard work."