Teen actress Amanda Bynes tells People magazine she listened to a lot of Tenacious D to prepare for her gender-bending role in "She's the Man."

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The comedy/music duo comprised of Jack Black and Kyle Gass helped her gain insight into a man's world as did going to the mall and just watching what boys do, Bynes, 19, told the magazine.

"I listened to Jack Black and Tenacious D because it's such a vulgar CD, all the stuff he sings about," she said. "So I would sing that to myself before I'd go out as a guy, and it felt like a little protection."

The mall was also helpful as she explored gender differences.

"I went to different malls and watched how guys and girls interacted," she said. "When guys were walking with girls, the girl would be hanging all over him and the guy would have one hand in his pocket. They want to always appear like they're open for better offers, so I remembered that to keep an ego thing going."