Last week ELLEgirl took time to chat with Keke Palmer, the up-and-coming teen actress who stars in the recent flick The Longshots alongside Ice Cube and director Fred Durst. We’ve already been blown away by Keke’s steady success, featuring some knock-out performances with big time co-stars in Akeelah and the Bee and Cleaner. And although there’s no doubt she’s talented, this down-to-earth gal definitely hasn’t let it all go to her head! Read our entire interview with Keke below, and take a look at The Longshots giveaway here! - Claire
(Photo courtesy of Retna)
ELLEgirl: Did you know how to play football before you started making The Longshots?
Keke Palmer: No actually I did not! I’ve seen it a couple of times on TV. I’m sort of a tomboy and a girl at the same time. So I’d thrown a football before but I wasn’t really an expert at it!
EG: How did you prepare for the role? How many hours a day did you practice?
KP: We trained for four weeks before the movie got started, and I just learned the technique of throwing the ball, you know the strength in your legs, the footwork and all that type of stuff. We practiced from 11AM to 3PM.
EG: Who was your coach for all those practices?
KP: A man named Pastor Genny. He’s the most amazing coach ever. Because even if you got it wrong, he always made you feel like you got it right. But at the same time you know that you have to get better at it. He’s very supportive and motivational. I always do his voice, because I can sound like him, but he says, “You go baby! You can do it baby!” He’s so awesome. He’s a Pastor, that’s probably why he’s so motivational.
EG: You know this movie is based on a true story – did you meet the girl that your character was inspired by?
KP: Yes I did. And when I met her I was acting like an interviewer because I just wanted to ask so many questions! It was really cool finding out what things in the movie were true, and what wasn’t true.
EG: So in real life, what’s your favorite sport?
KP: I’d have to say football. I’ve played baseball before and soccer, but it wasn’t really too intriguing. It was too technical. I like running. But as far as throwing the ball, I’m not that good at it. I’m sure if I got trained for it, I’d get good at it. But I’m not that great at it right now! But I like football probably because I know how to do it. Basketball, everybody tells me I should do it, because I have very big hands and I’m very tall, for a girl at least! So people guess I’m good at it, but I’m not!
EG: So what was the atmosphere like on set?
KP: The atmosphere was just young and fun. All of us were 13, 14, 15 [years old]. We had a really good time on set. It was mainly guys, I was the only girl and then maybe two other girls that were in the movie. We were all just having a good time – really excited to be filming the movie. We were in a new area so we were all just finding out things together.
EG: You mostly hung out with the kids, so you didn’t really hang out with Ice Cube?
KP: No, I didn’t hang out with him too much! But he’s still really cool and I worked with him everyday on set. Most of my scenes were with him.
EG: Had you listened to any of his music, you know from back in the day before you started working with him? What about Fred Durst, the director?
KP: Oh yeah, I know a lot of their songs.
EG: So what songs are on your playlist right now? Do you have any Limp Bizkit or Ice Cube on there?
KP: Oh yeah, I have some Limp Bizkit on there, and I have a few songs by Ice Cube. I really love Brandy. I just love her. I don’t know if it’s her single but it’s this one called “Long Distance”. I love it. It’s so good.
EG: So you‘ve worked with so many big names, and up next, you have a movie with Kevin Spacey, is that right?
KP: Yes I have a movie coming out, well it’s going to Sundance. Hopefully we’ll get some distribution but I’m going to Sundance – I’m so excited about it. It’s my first time ever, and I’m really happy. I’m really just thrilled.
EG: So you’ve worked with all these great people, but is there anybody that you’d still like to meet? Is there anybody that you’re still hoping to work with or that you really look up to?
KP: Yeah, I’d love to work with Will Smith! He is so good. I’ve loved him ever since Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Whenever people talk to me about, ‘What’s your ultimate goal?’ most of the time I say, I want to be international, I want to be international like Will Smith! People know him everywhere. I’ve never heard anybody say ‘I don’t like Will Smith’. Either they say ‘I love him’, or ‘he’s a good actor’ or ‘I like him’ or whatever. They never say anything bad about him. I just think that’s so cool to get to the level where you can do comedy and drama and still be well-liked by your fans and people that really are your fans. I just think that’s really cool.
EG: How did you get into acting? What was your motivation?
KP: I was a singer first. I thought when I grew up I was going to be a singer. I was nine-years-old and my parents were reading in the newspaper about the Lion King audition. So it’s a Sunday morning, and they’re like, ‘Did you want to go down and try out for this role?’ And I thought, yeah sure, no big deal. This will be fun, I’m not doing anything! So I went down and out of 400 plus kids, I made it down to the top 15. And then I was out. And I was like, oh no! But at the same time, I was like this is something new, this is something really cool. Acting? This is how you get parts in movies? Yeah, I want to do this! So my mom got me an agent, and then I got an audition for Barbershop 2 – one of my few films. Then I got the part, and from then on it was acting, acting. And then I eventually moved to California, my immediate family and me, we moved to California and then I just kept getting roles and roles. I was very blessed.
EG: So acting aside, you’re also really stylish! What’s your favorite thing to wear? Do you have any favorite fashion brands?
KP: My style is a mixture. I love Urban Outfitters, which is kind of an edgy Forever 21. They have edgy stuff, big bags, and cute stuff like that. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked on my credit card bill and it said Urban Outfitters. I love it there! But I also like Nordstrom which is classy, kind of business attire. It depends what event I’m going to. I can definitely switch it around. I love Juicy Couture which is young Hollywood – that whole image of ‘you’re a star’ kind of thing. And I’ve never met Marc Jacobs but every time I wear his clothes they fit me like he made them for me! I don’t understand what he does. Every time I put something of his on, I never have to get it re-made or anything like that, because a lot of times what happens is, my legs are very long, and my waist is very small. So I need a number 2 or a number 1 for my hips but then my legs will be up to my knees! So a lot of times I have to have the waist pulled in. But Marc, Marc’s on it. He’s making clothes for Keke Palmer. I don’t know what he’s doing because they fit me perfectly!
EG: Maybe you’ll be his next spokesmodel or his next muse!
KP: That would be awesome! I’d be like ‘What’s up, Marc. Hook me up!’”
EG: So what are your beauty must-haves? What do you usually wear make-up wise on an everyday basis?
KP: I don’t really wear makeup. I used to wear makeup a lot but I got Accutane which is an acne medicine, and I got rid of all my acne. So my face is very clear now. And if I ever go somewhere and I just want to do a little dress up, then I’ll put on some mascara and a little eyeliner to keep it soft, and then I’ll put on some MAC blush and lip gloss and it’s just done. I don’t really wear foundation. And because I work all week, on Thursdays and Fridays I shoot and I wear make-up, I want to rest.
EG: What about the red carpet? When you have these big events, do you have a makeup artist or do you do it yourself?
KP: Yes, but most of the time it’s different people that I know, people that know my face and that know what looks good on me. I have oily skin and sometimes if it’s some different makeup artist they might pack on the oil and I won’t need it. I’ll wake up the next morning looking like Vaseline! So I just make sure that I get someone that knows my face pretty well and knows what looks good on me. And then luckily I come out looking supposedly good on the red carpet!
EG: What do you use on your face? Any skin care products to help fight oily skin?
KP: I go to a dermatologist. Oily is a good thing actually, my dermatologist told me, because she said the drier your skin is the more wrinkles you’ll get. When you have oily skin, I guess it keeps the elasticity in your skin. She said it’s good as you get older to have oily skin. But for now, at nighttime I don’t put any lotion on. I just let my face be dry and then when I wake up in the morning it’s not as oily. And then I wash my face and I put on a coat of lotion, just one thin coat, and then I put a little bit under my eyes because your eyes are very sensitive somebody told me, just to keep that area moist. And then at night I wash it all off so my face doesn’t get extra oily. And then, boom, just dry and keep it normal. It helps! Every time I wake up in the morning I’m like, thank you lord for bringing my dermatologist into my life!
EG: Do you have any celebrity crushes right now?
KP: Not necessarily crushes, but I think Ryan Sheckler’s pretty cute.
EG: Have you ever met him before?
KP: Yeah, he was on my show. You never know what people are like on TV, like singing at the Kids Choice Awards, but I was like, oh he’s a really cute guy. He was!
EG: Do you guys live anywhere near each other? You’re both out in California! It could work, you never know!
KP: He’s way older than me. Well he’s not way older than me. He’s 18. Yeah, but he’s pretty cute, I’ll have to give it to him!
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