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Keke Palmer is opening up about her experience as a young actor in Hollywood.
During a recent interview with The Cut, Palmer suggested that people put "limitations" on her as a Black child star among a sea of white young actors. Palmer starred in the hit Nickelodeon show True Jackson, VP, which aired for three seasons from 2008 to 2011.
Palmer said she found success as a Nickelodeon child star, but “I wasn’t necessarily in the same conversations as Victoria Justice or Selena Gomez or Miley Cyrus at that time.” Victoria Justice, Selena Gomez, and Miley Cyrus headlined their own hit shows, including Victorious, Wizards of Waverly Place, and Hannah Montana, respectively.
Palmer said she and her series were isolated from other hit shows led by child actors as “it was very much ‘That’s the Black show’ or ‘That’s Keke Palmer, the Black girl on the network.’”
“There is a loss of innocence that comes with the awareness that you’re treated differently that I’d accepted a long time ago,” Palmer said.“I don’t compare myself to anyone but I definitely don’t compare myself to any white person.”
After True Jackson ended in 2011, Palmer, who was 18 years old at the time, transitioned to auditioning for movie projects, including Fast and Furious.
“You’re at this weird age where you’re too young for the kind of roles that you would want and you’re too old for the kind of roles you used to get,” Palmer said. “Your brand was made up of you being a kid, and you’re not a kid anymore. So you have to build a new one.”
The former child star is currently promoting her film One of Them Days, in which she co-stars with Grammy award-winning singer SZA. The film debuts in theaters on Friday (January 17).
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