Keke Palmer’s parents advised her to turn down the role of “drug dealer” in the Ryan Gosling movie

Keke Palmer’s parents influenced the types of roles she took on as a child actress.

In Palmer’s recent interview with The cut around the release of her new comedy One of these daysthe 31-year-old actress recalled auditioning for a number of film parts after first breaking out as the 12-year-old star in the 2005s Akeelah and the bee. One of those roles included a junior high school student in the award-winning 2006 film Half Nelsonwhich starred Ryan Gosling as a teacher struggling with addiction.

“After Akeelah and the beethey didn’t think it was good for me to play a drug dealer,” Palmer told the paper about how her parents, Sharon and Larry Palmer, seized the opportunity. The actress was about 13 years old then Half Nelson released. “They were very careful about the roles I played as a little black kid.”

The role ultimately went to Shareeka Epps, who won a Gotham Award for her performance.

Instead of playing along Half Nelson — for which Gosling, now 44, received his first career Oscar nomination — Palmer starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Jump in! and the movie Cleaner in the following years before landing her starring role on Nickelodeon’s True Jackson, VP in 2008.

Palmer’s parents first met at drama school and spent time as amateur actors before starting a family. Keke is their second oldest child. They welcomed their eldest, Loreal Palmer, in 1989 and welcomed their twins Lawrenne and Lawrence in 2000. Sharon has served as Keke’s manager since she began performing; Keke told The Cut that Larry stayed home more often with his siblings.

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“My parents were very gender nonconforming in their relationship,” she said. “My dad always washed our clothes and sewed and put relaxers in our hair. He was more than the head of our family—he was our hero.”

Palmer also noted in the interview that as a teenager she was very aware that her work as an actress was growing into the family’s main source of income. “I hated my parents for a long time,” she said. “There was so much pressure to do it for my community, for my parents, for my siblings, for their victims. They didn’t say it, but it was the reality. Because I’m who we all came here for.”

One of these days is in theaters January 17.