Rihanna’s Voice Acting Debut Wasn’t As Smurfette—Here’s The Animated Film You Probably Forgot!

Before becoming Smurfette, Rihanna voiced a teenage girl in an animated film you might have missed. Here's why it's worth a rewatch!

- July 18, 2025 | 6:46 PM IST

Rihanna’s Forgotten Animated Debut Is Streaming Now — While you wait for Rihanna’s role in the Smurf Movie, here is another animated voice-over role that you need to check out! (Photo Credit – Netflix)

Rihanna is currently making waves, not necessarily for her new album, but for her latest voice-over role in the new Smurfs Movie. In addition to playing the character, Rihanna has also sung a new song for the film. This role also marks the singer’s comeback to entertainment, following a brief hiatus from music. Smurfs Movie has released in India and globally on July 18, 2025. It also stars James Corden, Nick Offerman, JP Karliak, Daniel Levy, Sandra Oh, among others.

The Diamonds hitmaker was last seen on the Met Gala carpet in May, where she also announced her third pregnancy. Her role as Smurfette comes as a breath of fresh air and a new wave of excitement for he fans who have long been waiting to listen to the singer. In the movie, Rihanna’s Smurfette is one a mission to find what her special trait is. She, along with all other Smurfs, enter the human world to save Papa Smurf who has been kidnapped by Gargamel and Razamel. But long before Rihanna became Smurfette, she was a teenage girl trying to find her mother and the true meaning of ‘home’ in another animated movie.

All you need to know about Rihanna’s voice acting debut role in Home

Home is a coming of age movie about a teenage girl named Gratuity “Tip” Tucci who is on a mission to find her missing mother, Lucy (voiced by Jennifer Lopez). She befriends Oh, an alien who has left his home planet and settled on Earth. Oh belongs to the Boov alien race. The Boov, led my Captain Smek, plan to invade Earth as they deem the humans very simple and not so advanced. The entire Boov race is quite cowardly, sometimes comically so. As Oh and Tip face challenges on Earth, and try to succeed in their personal agenda, they learn the true meaning of ‘home.’

Oh is voiced by Jim Parsons, whereas Tip is voiced by Rihanna. Home was released in 2015 by Dreamworks. The movie also stars Steve Martin as the voice of Captain Smek. The movie is a loose adaptation of Adam Rex’s 2007 children’s book The True Meaning of Smekday.

In addition to being a talented singer and voice-over actor, Rihanna also made her presence felt with a television debut in the show Bates Motel as Marion Crane in 2017, just two years after her role in Home. Rihanna and Jim Parsons’ Home is currently available to watch on Netflix.

Watch the song Friend of Mine by Rihanna from the latest Smurfs Movie here: