Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman discuss their roles in 'Paperboy' at Cannes

Zac Efron has a daring role in a new movie from director, Oscar nominee Lee Daniels (Precious), alongside Matthew McConaughey, Nicole Kidman and John Cusack in The Paperboy.

The film, which made it's debut at the Cannes Film Festival, has Efron very exposed.

“He was in his underwear half the time,” said singer Macy Gray, who plays a maid and narrates the movie.

Efron wasn't always comfortable during the risqué shoot.

“I don’t think I was supposed to feel comfortable,” he explained. “It’s like life. This character is supposed to be learning the ways of the world, and that can be very uncomfortable. But it’s also exciting.”

The film is set in Florida in 1969 amid racial tension. Efron plays the role of 20-year-old Jack, the younger brother of a journalist (McConaughey)who has come back to his family’s small town to investigate whether a man was wrongly condemned to death row. Kidman’s character is obsessed with the inmate (Cusack).

The film promises raunchy scenes, something unheard of for the delicate Kidman. She told Cannes that she had no reservations about her highly sexualized character.

“I think I had to step into a place to play the character where I didn’t step out of it and look at myself, so it wasn’t hard to shoot,” she said. “I’d been looking as an actor for something raw and something dangerous.”

Both Kidman and Efron said the film has made them grow as actors.

"I'd been looking as an actor for something raw and something dangerous," said Kidman.

Efron also revealed his feelings for Kidman, saying, "I've been in love with her for a long time, since 'Moulin Rouge," according to mtv.com.