5 Keke Palmer The Cut Interview Takeaways

Keke Palmer has been on our screens for over 20 years, entertaining us through film, television and music. While a relatively private person as her career has skyrocketed in the past few years, the public has interest in her personal life and upbringing as a child star.

While the release of her memoir last year she opened up more than ever and took control of her own narrative, her press run ahead of her upcoming film “One of Them Days” sees her pull back the curtain even further and speak publicly about her child acting career, her “toxic” dynamic with her eg, and more.

Child stardom was not easy

In her cover story at The cutthe author spends much of the story going over Palmer’s career as a child star, from her breakout role in “Akeelah and the Bee” to her starring role in the hit Nickelodeon sitcom, “True Jackson VP.” Despite her success, she very quickly realized that she could not compare herself to her contemporaries at the time, such as Selena Gomez or Miley Cyrus.

“It was very much ‘It’s the black show,’ or ‘It’s Keke Palmer, the black girl on the network,'” she recalled. She went on to explain that there is “a loss of innocence” that comes when you become aware that you are being treated differently than she “accepted a long time ago.” Now, “I don’t compare myself to anybody, but I certainly don’t compare myself to any white person.”

Family pressure

One aspect of child stardom she also discusses is the pressure she felt as the family’s main source of income. Intense for any person, let alone a child, this led to Palmer feeling isolated from her family as she knew there was an expectation that she would continue to book jobs for the sake of the family.

“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.”

More ‘Scream Queens’ Tea

Like us reportedone of the biggest stories to come out of her memoir is her experience on the set of Ryan Murphy’s “Scream Queens” series, including a moment when TV producer Murphy himself “ripped” into her. When asked if she had heard from Murphy since the memoir came out, she explained in the interview that she has not heard from him “directly”. “I definitely think he thought I might have attacked him or tried to embarrass him or send the mob after him,” she revealed. “But the point of bringing up Ryan Murphy wasn’t, ‘F**k Ryan Murphy, he ain’t shit.’ It was, ‘Look, I did what I had to do for me, and it gave me a problem with one of ​​the most popular and successful men in the business, and sometimes it can cost you to do the same to get your personal success.'”

Working with SZA was a dream

“One of Them Days,” her upcoming film with music superstar SZA and produced by Issa Rae, is already shaping up to be one of the most exciting releases of the year. She also talked about working with the “Kill Bill” singer on the film in the interview, calling her “just naturally funny.” She added: “As vulnerable and excited and eccentric as SZA is, she’s also very serious, very brilliant and a focused person.”

Her ‘toxic’ dynamic with her ex and co-parents

One story that has thrust Palmer even further into the spotlight in recent years is her relationship with Darius Jacksonfrom him publicly calling her out after she attended an Usher concert, to Palmer eventually filing a restraining order against him, claiming he was physically and emotionally abusive towards him. “There’s a sensationalization that happens with that word,” she explained when the term “domestic violence” is brought up in the interview. “But there really are often no other words to describe such a toxic dynamic.”

She goes on to say that having her son, Leodis, gave her the strength to leave “before it had a chance to become something that I had to survive.” She adds that she “hated” her story becoming such a media sensation, saying her “personal junk” didn’t deserve a place at the center of the career she worked so hard to build. “When it happened, it was terrible because I couldn’t get to the message of the story, in real time, now I’m able to articulate it and I’m able to say what the story is going to be.”

Fans of Palmer, of course, have taken to social media with reactions to the story. One user, specifically talking about how Palmer was often overlooked compared to white child stars of the time, wrote: “Now that I think about it, keke Palmer was on the Disney Channel, had her own show in nick, and was known by the masses to have starred in feature films… really in a league of its own, but the media wouldn’t let you realize that.”

Another agreed, writing: “Points were made. ‘A loss of innocence’ is such a heartbreaking way to put it because there is no turning back. To Keke’s point, Raven Symone should be hailed as Hollywood’s elite, and well.” ..”