Rihanna says she’s “amazed” by the ever-expanding acting talent of ASAP Rocky, whose 2025 slate included roles in Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest and Mary Bronstein’s If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.
“Oh my God, I’m so proud of him,” Rihanna told Extra on the red carpet at the 35th Annual Gotham Film Awards, where Rocky was nominated for Breakthrough Performer. “I am truly proud. Every time I see him on camera in a movie, I’m like, ‘What?’ I get amazed because I didn’t know he had it in him. But he’s such a great talent.”
For Rocky, expanding into movie stardom is a natural fit.
“It feels amazing, I can’t lie to you,” he told Extra in his own red carpet interview. “It fits me well. It suits me very well.”
Rocky’s Breakthrough Performer nomination stemmed from his turn as Yung Felon in Highest 2 Lowest. Other nominees in the 2025 class included Chase Infiniti, whose breakout came in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. Ultimately, Abou Sangaré took home the award for his performance as the title character in Souleymane's Story.
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, no doubt one of the best films of the year, entered the night with four Gotham Film Awards nominations to its name. In the film, Rocky plays James, a supporting (but crucial) character to Rose Byrne’s Linda, whose stress seems to magnify by the minute as she cares for a sick daughter while her husband is MIA.
What’s next for Rocky as an actor is unclear. His long-teased new album Don’t Be Dumb, meanwhile, is potentially eyeing a 2026 release.