Sarah Paulson Says It Was A Struggle Not to Embarrass Herself in Front of Rihanna

Sarah Paulson and Rihanna are co-starring together in Ocean’s 8, and as she told Ellen DeGeneres today it was a daily struggle not to embarrass herself.

When asked if the two “became friends,” Sarah told Ellen, “I like to think [we] did. I’m not sure. I think we’re friends,” adding that she and Rihanna “have texted.”

“It was a daily struggle to not embarrass myself because every time I looked at her. I was like, ‘Work, work, work, work, work,'” Sarah quipped. Often, she said Sandra Bullock had to come in and tell her to “dial it down.”

“It was not good because I’m not a singer, and it’s just deeply nerdy,” she recalled. “And Sandy would look at me and be like, ‘Hey, dial it down, just stop.'”

“I dealt with my own anxiety by going up to Rihanna and being like, ‘I’ve got a new song I can do for you,’ and she’s like, ‘No, Paulson,'” she said. “I’d be like, ‘What about, I’m in a birdcage,’ And she’s like, ‘No, you’re not in a birdcage, and I really need you to stop singing.’ She thought my lyrics weren’t so bad, but my melody was terrible.”