‘Bates Motel’: Austin Nichols Talks Working With Rihanna On A&E Series

Rihanna as Marion Crane — Austin Nichols said that acting opposite Rihanna on the set of “Bates Motel” was a “great experience.” A&E

Austin Nichols had nothing but praises for Rihanna, whom he got the chance to work with in Season 5, episodes 5 and 6 of “Bates Motel.”

“She was awesome. Everyone loved her,” Nichols told TV Insider when asked what it was like to act opposite Rihanna. “It was really fun because she said that ‘Bates’ was her favorite TV show. … She just wanted to do a good job. She said to everyone, ‘I’m not an actor, I don’t do this professionally, so please help me.’ She was very kind and really wanted to be good. Everyone was happy to do whatever they could. It was a great experience.”

Nichols played the part of Sam Loomis on the A&E series, while Rihanna portrayed Sam’s mistress, Marion Crane — a role originally played by Janet Leigh in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film “Psycho.”

READ: Austin Nichols on recreating the iconic “Psycho” shower scene on “Bates Motel”

Phil Abraham, who directed episode 6, also had a great time working with Rihanna on the set of the TV series. “First of all, I can tell you that she was such a pro,” Abraham told The Hollywood Reporter of the singer. “I loved working with her. Truthfully. She was great. … She really was. She delivered.”

“And she’s such an undying fan of the show,” Abraham added of the “Work” hitmaker. “That was most fun to watch. Walking her through our main set, she was like, ‘Oh my God!’ She was beside herself. Then when she got out to our location and saw the Bates Motel sign and the house on the hill, she was like a superfan.”

Abraham also pointed out that Rihanna did a lot of heavy-lifting on the show in terms of the amount work she needed to do in a very limited time. “I think we shot over 38 pages with her being in just about everything in five days,” Abraham said (via Entertainment Weekly). “Going between the two episodes and doing 38 or 42 pages over five days, that’s a big ask for anybody. She was amazing.”

An all-new episode of “Bates Motel” (Season 5, episode 7) airs on Monday, April 3 at 10 p.m. EST on A&E.