Justin Timberlake helped Carey Mulligan with singing role

Justin Timberlake helped actress Carey Mulligan perfect her singing skills after she was overcome with nerves on the set of Inside Llewyn Davis.

The pair plays folk singers in the Coen brothers' latest movie, but Mulligan she feared she would freeze in front of the cameras when the time came for her to try out her vocals, so pop star-turned-actor Timberlake helped her relax by playing pranks on set.

Mulligan tells British Vogue magazine, "I was nervous about singing, but Justin was so sweet about it, knowing that he'd be quite an intimidating person to sing with. He is the nicest guy, so funny, he's the gag man - he jokes around, tells stories and is just really fun. Once I'd sung in front of him and it was out there, you think, 'Well you know how I sound now, take it or leave it.'"