Actor Anthony Anderson has become close friends with Prince after the pop superstar attempted to convert him to his Jehovah's Witness faith at a party.

The Hustle & Flow star was thrilled to be invited to a bash at the Kiss singer's Los Angeles home many years ago, and couldn't believe his luck when Prince insisted on chatting to him before he left.

Anderson recalls, "He cornered me at the elevator in his house one day, trying to convert me to be a Jehovah's Witness. He was two inches from my face and I made the mistake of looking at him in his eye; Jamie Foxx said, 'Never look him in his eye'.

"He was like, 'Anthony, I hear things are going on in Hollywood with my brothers and sisters. Is everything Ok...?' He was like, 'Can I have your number to call you...?' He finally came back and got my number and we've been cool ever since."

But he rarely gets invited to parties and gigs by Prince himself, adding, "He has his people call me... and they're like, 'Prince would like you to come to the party... Prince would like you to come up to the suite for pizza and pasta!' I'm like, 'Alright, it's like 3am...' When Prince summons you to the suite or to the house, you show up.

"I went to Vegas while he had a show in Vegas... a few months ago in New Orleans at the Essence Festival, I went to the show and went backstage and introduced my publicist to him and then hung out with him until about 5.30 in the morning."