Stanley Tucci prayed he would like Cher

Los Angeles – Stanley Tucci "prayed" he got on with Cher on the set of Burlesque.

The Easy A actor – who plays Cher's character Tess' best friend in the musical movie – professes he wasn't sure the pair would get on because "alchemy" between the stars of a movie is not guaranteed.

He said: "You just have to pray that you're going to get along with that person and that sort of alchemy is going to happen. And you're going to take that relationship that is on the screen and just make it richer and richer and richer and richer."

Cher also hoped she would get on with Stanley because she has never worked with an actor she has disliked.

She told Cinemablend.com: "You can't prepare for that. You really can't prepare for that because that either happens or it doesn't. Stanley and I were talking yesterday and we were talking about what it would be like.

"I've worked with directors that I don't like, but I haven't worked with any actors that I hated and I was thinking about Debra Winger and Richard Gere – I don't think I would have been able to do that. He hated her. I wouldn't know how – it would be awful for me."

Burlesque – which also stars Christina Aguilera as a small town girl looking for success – has already been released in the US and is expected to open in South Africa on 21 January 2011.