"Bates Motel" is currently on its fifth and final season, but the "Psycho" prequel is not leaving the small screen without adding a few more twists to the story. Tonight, award-winning singer Rihanna will make her acting debut in the first of a two-part episode as the iconic Marion Crane.
The Marion Crane character was originally played by Janet Leigh in "Psycho." Marion was on the run with stolen money from her boss, which led her to hide in a place called Bates Motel. She was the first leading lady to have been killed off at an earlier point of a film, being stabbed to death in the shower by Anthony Perkins' Norman Bates, who was supposedly under the control of his dead mother. Marion's horrific shower scene in the Alfred Hitchcock classic has inspired many horror filmmakers to include similar scenes in their movies.
Avid viewers of "Bates Motel" have long anticipated for more "Psycho" characters to appear on the show, and with the upcoming finale, executive producers Kerry Ehrin and Carlton Cuse thought it was about time to introduce the Marion Crane character. "As part of the grand plan we always talked about having Marion Crane enter the world of our show during the final season," Cuse told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview.
Ehrin added, "This season as we were breaking stories, it was more about trying to find a way to bring 'Psycho' into 'Bates Motel' in a way that was really meaningful to 'Bates Motel' but also allowed us to drop in and visit 'Psycho.'"
Rihanna revealed to Vanity Fair in 2015 that she was a fan of the "Bates Motel" series, which was what made the showrunners consider her for the role. Fortunately, the singer was interested in the idea, and now, she is finally going to grace the small screen as Marion Crane.
Actor Freddie Highmore, who plays Norman Bates in "Bates Motel," spoke with USA Today regarding Rihanna's performance on the show. "In combination with the writers, [Rihanna] has come up with a Marion Crane who serves as a wonderful throwback to 'Psycho' but at the same time is decidedly modern," he said. "We got to do some wonderful scenes together. She threw everything into it."
"Bates Motel" season 5 airs Mondays at 10 p.m. EDT on A&E. Rihanna will be appearing in the "Dreams Die First" episode tonight, and in the "Marion" episode on March 27.
