One thing you cannot deny is Keke Palmer's ability to entertain. She's a comedian, host, singer and queen of memes all rolled into one — and she's been doing it for decades.
Now, she's teamed up with another one of the world's favourite personalities, SZA, for blockbuster comedy One Of Them Days.
Fresh from her NAACP Image Awards' "Entertainer of the Year" win, and ahead of the films release Down Under, Keke sat down with BuzzFeed Australia to chat about an absolutely hectic award season and the importance of "satirising" real life.
Here's everything she had to say:
BFOZ: How are you feeling after this award season?
Keke: Good grief. It's definitely a journey. I'm glad that it's over, but boy did I have a ball.
BFOZ: Let's throw it back to your recent NAACP Image Awards speech — you've been described as having big Whitney Houston energy and you're often compared to Angela Bassett. Do the comparisons ever put pressure on you to act a certain way?
View this video on YouTube
BET Networks / Via youtube.comKeke: They don't put pressure on me to act a certain way, but I definitely feel like I take the responsibility of making sure that I'm conscientious of what that representation means to others.
Doesn't change who I am, but I think it's one of those things that makes you really show up even moreso, [in] the best way that you can. It's like when your parents tell you they're proud of you, or something, you're like, okay, shit, I got to keep making you proud, low-key.
BFOZ: Across this entire awards season, did you meet anyone that you didn't expect to meet (or make any new best friends along the way)?
Keke: I'm always surprised by who I meet whenever I'm out and about. And I don't know that I can say any specific names in particular.
[I'm] working, working, working. So whenever you get an opportunity to get out and be amongst your peers, it's always exciting, because you can say, "Oh my gosh, really respect you, and it's great to meet you. And I'm such a big fan."
I know when I was at SNL50, so many people that I wouldn't have even expected to see One Of Them Days were telling me they saw it and they loved the movie — from Adam Sandler to Kevin Bacon. You know what I mean?
It was so many different people that I was like, "Oh my gosh, that's the coolest thing ever."
These are people that I grew up being fans of, and [I'm] still fans of to this day. It was awesome meeting Dave Chappelle and being there at the NAACP Awards with him, and he was awesome.
And it's cool again, when people have seen or enjoyed your work 'cause that's why you have it there. That's why you do what you do.
BFOZ: In One Of Them Days, it seemed like there was so much magic behind the scenes with you and SZA, and of course, Issa Rae on the job too — what was the most chaotic moment from your time on set?
Keke: I mean, the whole time was chaotic because we had to film it so quickly. So while it was enjoyable and very fun, it was like, okay, we're running out of time.
Every day we were beating a clock, so that was the most chaotic aspect of it — trying to get the movie finished.
BFOZ: Why do you think One Of Them Days has been so well received?
Keke: You know everything's about timing. Obviously, I think that the movie — people [are] responding to — 'cause it's good. Obviously that's subjective, but it's good to me.
I know I enjoyed filming it, and I enjoyed watching it, but I think also it's timing.
We're in such a particular space and time right now, and I think it feels good. And that's what we need. There's a lot of stuff happening in the world and it's stressful, high stakes, and I think artists [are] either supposed to show you what you don't need to see or give you what you don't know you need.
And I think One Of Them Days — we're all having sometimes, one of them days. And to see a movie where these girls are getting through it and we're kind of satirising — if that's a word — or making it satirical, these real life experiences that we're all going through. I think it kind of takes some of the power out of the weight they can put on our lives.
BFOZ: More on your iconic career, you've had so many moments (or things you've said) go viral, unexpectedly. If you could've chosen any other moments in your life to go viral, which one would it be?
Keke: Man, I don't know. I've never had a moment that I said, "This needs to go viral", unless I was getting into a look and I'm like, "Get into this look". You know what I mean? Or something like that.
I loved the moment at the Met Gala when the guy put the music to the "Oh, oh, oh oh, I know it ain't, I know it ain't [Thee Stallion]".
I thought it was cool because, yeah, I just thought it was a very random thing that the world or my audience — or whoever you would attribute that to, the community, made into a thing. And that was a fun one.
BFOZ: Have you seen Megan [Thee Stallion] since, and used that mini song with her?
Keke: Well, I feel like I literally haven't seen her since. Isn't that crazy? I feel like she and I are never in the same place, at the same time since that moment!
BFOZ: We're going to have to get you guys in the same room so that you can recreate another moment that we can all adore and appreciate.
Keke: Gosh, yes.
BFOZ: And finally, what's coming next for you? Is there any character or project that you want to revisit or bring back to life?
Keke: That's hard. I'm one of those people that's like, look, if it's been done, let it be done by somebody else.
As much as I love a good revisit to an IP — I think sometimes it's like, okay, wait a minute. You know what I mean?
But I have often spoken about another Sister Act, because I loved it. And I think that that's one that could be revisited in a new way, that doesn't feel like it could pick up where it left off kind of thing — and be a voice to another generation, which could be cool. So yeah, maybe that one.
BFOZ: And which character would you play?
Keke: A new character! I'm a new nun coming in, or I'm daughter to Whoopi, something like this!

1 year ago
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English (US)