Even though Rihanna may have appeared in the Battleship trailer for a milisecond, director Peter Berg gushed about the superstar singer's acting prowess and her role in the upcoming action sci-fi flick, which hits theaters May 18th, 2012.

So surprisingly, she has a more significant role than we previously thought, maybe. In a recent MTV interview, Berg says that Rih has a "very strong part" in the film, and not only that, she will surpise many of you skeptics out there because she's "really, really good." Berg says he's a huge fan of Rihanna's videos. He acknowledged that besides exuding sex appeal, Rihanna has "this real intensity."

And here we thought he cast her because of her "urban swagger".

"When I met with her, she came in a T-shirt and jeans, no makeup, very natural. She was like, 'Look, I want to be an actress. Don't kiss my ass. Don't lie to me. Push me. Treat me as you would any other actor. Help make me good.'" says Berg.

Berg also praised the performances of  singers turned actors in the past. He stated:

"I've always believed in musicians as actors. I had great success with Tim McGraw in 'Friday Night Lights' and 'The Kingdom.' Musicians have been acting since Frank Sinatra won an Oscar for 'From Here to Eternity,' Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson, the late Whitney Houston, I thought, was tremendous in 'The Bodyguard.' As recently as Mariah Carey in 'Precious,' she was great."

There you have it! No wonder she was up for award consideration. Tambay posted the fake poster announcement last month HERE. 🙂

Watch the video for the rest of the interview below.