Rihanna Dishes on Rigorous Training for ‘Battleship’ Role

Rihanna will make her big screen debut in 'Battleship' next year, where she will play a weapon-wielding Petty Officer Raikes. We know, it's a bit of a stretch for the pop diva, known for her skimpy attire, to play such an "official" and "buttoned up" role, but hey, it's a movie. Suspend disbelief and watch RiRi kick some a--.

"It was a role I felt like I could handle for my first time acting and he was super enthusiastic about it," Rihanna told Fandango about 'Battleship' director Peter Berg and about her approach to the role.

The preparation that Rihanna underwent for the role was as intense as any course that a real naval officer would have to undergo. She was required to run around a ship, lift weights and swim, along with taking orders from a drill sergeant type.

"One man drilled me, yelled at me, cursed me out, made me do pushups," she lamented. "My best friend was there and I told her, 'I'm about to do acting class, you're gonna want to kill this man but please, just stay in the other room.' She would come in and just look around and be like, 'Did he just say F.U. to her?'"

The Barbados native said she was tempted to say "F. U. right back" but rethought this quickly. "He probably would have thrown me through the window!" she said. "I was so scared, I just looked at him like, 'I swear I'll get it right, I'll be good!'"

Rihanna is also the sole female on the ship, which doesn't bother the 'Man Down' singer in the slightest. She acknowledged, "This is how I grew up; most of my friends were guys. In this case I'm one of the guys. I'm not acknowledged as the female, no sympathy for me."