Rihanna "Abruptly Ends" Interview—but Not Before Talking About Whitney Houston Biopic

Battleship star discusses the "pressure" of playing the former diva, won't talk Chris Brown or Ashton Kutcher

By Ted Casablanca, John Boone Apr 12, 2012 7:06 PMTags
RihannaKoki Nagahama/Getty Images

Rihanna and controversy aren't exactly strangers. In fact, with all those mesh peek-a-boob tops and ambiguous tweets, you might even say the two are practically BFFs (sorry, Katy Perry)!

So it's hardly shocking that Ri-Ri is at it again, this time on the Australian morning talk show Sunrise. If you follow badgalriri on Instagram, you no doubt already know she's been Down Under to promote her movie Battleship.

And while she was (mostly) happy to chat about taking on a Whitney Houston biopic, one topic of conversation caused her to "abruptly end" the interview. And yes, it has to do with Chris Brown

"I don't see why I can't do both," the singer defensively—in our opinion, at least—claimed when asked by the Sunrise host whether she thought she might become more of an actress than a singer someday (à la Justin Timberlake). "If I love both then I'll do great as both."

Touché! And as for the possibility of playing the late, great Houston in a future film (something Rihanna has already expressed interest in)?

"It would be emotional, of course, because she's been someone that I've looked up to for so long," Ri-Ri explained about either playing Whitney herself or taking part in a Bodyguard reboot. "Her music is something that I've been very close to, so I guess it would be fulfilling as well as, um…a lot of pressure."

Nothing controversial yet, right? Well, at this point the interviewer asks how frustrating it is to be linked in the tabloids with other stars, whether you've met them or not (the latter part referring to Ashton Kutcher).

"Very frustrating," Rihanna fumes, looking very annoyed. "Almost as frustrating as being asked about it."

Awkward. Though we must say it was a very softball question, especially considering how much drama Rih has sparked lately—what with collaborating with ex Chris Brown on two songs, possibly sparking a feud with his girlfriend, etc.

"Yeah, you don't like going there?" the interviewer asks.

"I mean, what's the point?" Rihanna snaps.

"Well people are interested in you, you're a big star," responds the interviewer.

To which Rihanna lays it out: "They are. And they're interested in a lot of things—a lot of things that don't matter. Or shouldn't."

After that's the point where—as the Sunrise host explained—the "interview abruptly ends." But do you think Rihanna is being a bit unfair, pushing the badass card and then pouting when it garners the type of attention it provokes? Or do you think Rihanna handled the situation just fine (this isn't the first time she's had to say she's "happy and single," after all)?

Hey, at least she didn't throw a chair at a window, right?