Keke Palmer was taught to be a "multifaceted entertainer" during her childhood.
Keke Palmer found fame as a child
The 31-year-old star made her film debut as a child, appearing in movies like 'Barbershop 2: Back in Business' and 'The Wool Cap', and Keke has now described herself as a graduate of "the Disney School".
The actress told the Guardian newspaper: "It’s kind of like vaudevillian-ish or MGM-style. They just teach you to be a multifaceted entertainer and to repurpose yourself in every way you can. Because, essentially, that’s what they’re trying to do as a company: get the biggest bang for their buck."
Keke was just 12 years old when she became the main breadwinner in her house, and she admits that it disrupted her family's dynamic.
She said: "It was weird for me."
Despite this, Keke still appreciates the values she was taught by her parents.
The 'Hustlers' star shared: "Y’know, I look today at what the kids are saying online - and by ‘the kids’, I mean the folks, everyone - we have these weird ideas of what it means to be a man or woman, and it’s so stringent. My parents bounced back and forth to play all different roles."
Keke also recalls being baffled by the attitude and behaviour of other child stars.
She added: "Especially as a black child. It was very like ‘You’re too good to be here … you deserve to be a part of a different family’ type of energy. It’s like, well, this family is mine. It’s OK if they’re from the midwest or they don’t look the way you think they should look.
"There was this elitism that was projected on my parents, even though they were the ones that raised me to be the person that I am; the person that people think couldn’t be their child."
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