Lindsay helped porn star's performance

Los Angeles - Lindsay Lohan helped porn star James Deen reach new levels of prowess while filming The Canyons.

The 26-year-old actress - who has previously posed nude for Playboy magazine - appears as the adult film star's lover in forthcoming thriller, and James insists Lindsay was "super professional" while filming their X-rated scenes in his big screen debut, and he "learned a lot" from her.

He said: "Working with her was awesome. She's super professional; super great. She's a fantastic actress, it was really, really awesome. I feel like I learned a lot from her like in the scenes we did together, they were my stronger scenes."

'She knows her shit'

James appears alongside Good Will Hunting director Gus Van Sant in the movie - which tells the story of a group of youths and their sexual escapades in Los Angeles - and he credits Lindsay for bringing out the "best" in his acting ability.

Speaking in a video on TMZ.com, he added: "Working with people who are really strong actors and very talented and stuff brings the best out of you. It was very helpful to me as an amateur."

James recently revealed Lindsay has used her years of acting experience (Freaky Friday, Mean Girls) to help bring the best out of the characters in the movie.

He said: "So far it's been a pretty awesome experience, everything's been really fun.

"She's got great ideas. She's involved in the characters. She knows her shit. She's good. She's really good."