Celebrities — they’re just like us! They, too, obsessively follow their favorite TV shows — the only difference is thaty being an A-lister can sometimes nab a celeb screen time with his or her favorite characters.
Ahead of one such superfan guest turn — Rihanna debuting on “Bates Motel” (Monday, 10 p.m., A&E) — here’s a look at five stars who got to live out their TV dreams.
Prince
TV show: “New Girl,” Season 3 (2014)
Role: When the “Purple Rain” singer reached out to the Fox comedy’s producers and told them he was a fan, he was specific that his cameo involve him helping Jess (Zooey Deschanel) and Nick (Jake Johnson) with their relationship. The resulting post-Super Bowl episode sees Prince dole out advice on saying “I love you” and ends (natch) with a song.
Scott Ian
TV show: “The Walking Dead,” Season 5 (2015)
Role: Ian, guitarist for the metal band Anthrax and a self-proclaimed zombie enthusiast, saw his first transformation into a flesh-eater in 2011 get relegated to a “Walking Dead” webisode. He finally lived his walker dreams on TV in a Season 5 episode, in which he quickly meets his end when Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) impales him with a metal pole.
Amy Schumer
TV show: “The Bachelorette,” Season 11 (2015)
Role: The “Bachelor” superfan got her chance to be part of reality show romance in an episode where she helps coach the suitors on wooing “Bachelorette” Kaitlyn Bristowe with stand-up comedy. While the bachelors’ comedic chops were debatable, Schumer told “Entertainment Tonight” of Bristowe, “She’s supercool and I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”
Rihanna
TV show: “Bates Motel,” Season 5 (2017)
Role: To redefine the iconic Marion Crane role (played by Janet Leigh in “Psycho”) for its final season, producers turned to RiRi. “We … heard Rihanna was a fan of the show, and we were huge fans of hers, so it was the perfect collision of creativity and fate,” said executive producers Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin when announcing the casting last year.
Ed Sheeran
TV show: “Game of Thrones,” Season 7 (2017)
Role: The singer, who once freaked out when he was gifted a replica of Jon Snow’s sword on a radio show, might get to see the real thing: He’s appearing next season in a secret role. Apparently, the fandom is mutual. “For years we were trying to get Ed Sheeran on the show so we could surprise Maisie [Williams, who plays Arya Stark on the show],” co-creator David Benioff said at SXSW.