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9 Movies and TV Shows You Totally Forgot Rihanna Was In
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Rihanna made waves in Hollywood a few years ago thanks to her starring role as Nine Ball in the all-female reboot of “Ocean’s 8.” However, this should come as no surprise given the fact that this isn’t the singer’s first rodeo. Prior to “Ocean’s 8,” Rihanna appeared in a few other projects, including “Battleship” and “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” which unfortunately proved to be commercial disappointments, but both films served as a training ground for Rihanna’s then-blossoming acting career.
She also made cameos as herself in films like “Bring It On: All or Nothing” and “This Is the End.” And who can forget when the icon completely stole the show as Kofi in Childish Gambino’s “Guava Island” without singing a single word? Yes, “Ocean’s 8” might be Rihanna’s biggest movie to date, but we have a feeling she’s just getting started. Seriously, from running her Fenty empire to redefining maternity style, is there anything Rihanna can’t do?
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"Bring It On: All or Nothing" (2006)
The singer made a cameo as herself in the third instalment of “Bring It On” and performed her song “Pon de Replay.”
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"Battleship" (2012)
Rihanna made her acting debut as Petty Officer Cora “Weps” Raikes in the action film, alongside Taylor Kitsch and Alexander Skarsgard. In an interview with POPSUGAR back in 2012, Rihanna confessed that “everything” about making her first movie scared her. “I was terrified because it was a whole new world,” Rihanna said. “It’s a big industry and it’s one that I have a lot of respect for and acting. I didn’t know what I was doing, so walking into something so big and being a part of such a huge film, it was a lot of pressure and I had to keep up with the other actors around me. I was nervous.”
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"This Is the End" (2013)
The Barbados native made a cameo as herself in the comedy, which was directed and written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. “I’d never met her before we made this movie,” Rogen explained to MTV News about her cameo in 2013. “I read that some of her favourite movies were ‘Superbad’ and ‘Pineapple Express,’ and I just remembered it to make me feel good about myself. And then, years later, we were doing this and we were like, ‘Who could we get?’ and I was like, ‘Rihanna!'”
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"Annie" (2014)
Rihanna also made a cameo as a character in a movie in “Annie” called Moon Goddess. She only had a few lines, and her sole job was to open her mouth and reveal a blue tongue and fangs. Kind of creepy, if you ask me.
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"Home" (2015)
Rihanna landed her first animation role when she voiced Gratuity “Tip” Tucci in “Home.” In fact, Rihanna’s main goal with this film was to empower young girls. “We wanted girls to just feel strong and brave, empowered, beautiful, and that they can do anything. They can take charge of their life or situation, no matter what,” she told Essence in 2015. “I think we were really, really careful especially with the animation to make sure that she wore the right things. That her body was not unrealistic, you know and I think for kids, that’s really special for young girls.”
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"Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" (2017)
Rihanna took on the role of a sexy alien named Bubble in “Valerian.” The action-packed film also starred Dane DeHaan, Clive Owen, and Rihanna’s friend Cara Delevingne.
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"Bates Motel" (2017)
In A&E’s “Bates Motel”‘s fifth and final season, Rihanna reprises the iconic role of Marion Crane, who’s fatally stabbed in the shower by Norman Bates in 1960’s “Psycho.” In a surprising twist though, Rihanna has a shower scene, but her character doesn’t meet the same fate.
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"Ocean's 8" (2018)
“Ocean’s 8” might just be Rihanna’s biggest movie yet. The pop singer took on the role of a hacker named Nine Ball and worked alongside Sarah Paulson, Sandra Bullock, Mindy Kaling, and Anne Hathaway. In fact, Paulson recently couldn’t stop gushing about Rihanna. “She’s this amazing performer and energy when you see her on stage or screen, but in person, she’s – I would never use the word shy to describe her – but she has a reserved temperament on our set,” she told Us Weekly. “She was more quiet. She’s also so much fun and totally game for anything and excited to be there, but, very mellow.”
