Peter Berg told Entertainment Weekly that her 2009 interview with Diane Sawyer - in which the singer opened up about her assault from Chris Brown - encouraged him to try out Rihanna for his film. He said:

"I'd obviously seen [Rihanna's] videos and was a fan of hers. The videos were really sexy and obviously, you know, very entertaining to say the least. But what first caught my eye about Rihanna was an interview she did with Diane Sawyer after the Chris Brown incident, where she was very articulate, very poised, obviously a smart girl who talked about a very traumatic experience. That was a legitimate, violent, real experience that would traumatize anyone. I thought she handled herself very well. I was intrigued. That was the first time I really remember Rihanna kind of coming on my radar, someone that was more than just kind of a sexy girl that sang hip-hop songs."

Berg also mentioned Rihanna's audition, with the singer showcasing a wide variety of acting roles. He added:

"I asked to meet her, she came in in a pair of blue jeans, a T-shirt and flip-flops, and for two hours we just improv'd. She read all the roles in the movie. She read Liam Neeson's role in a Valley girl accent, just this really kind of crazed, slightly off-balance Valley girl, which is very funny. She improvised. She cried. She did it as if she was drunk. She did it as if she was a nun."