Onscreen, Keke Palmer is usually the underdog. “It’s like, Y’all counted her out, or, It was her all along,” says the 32-year-old actor, who Zooms with me from a car between meetings in Los Angeles, of the characters she plays. They range from early, titular roles in Akeelah and the Bee and the Nickelodeon series True Jackson, VP to Emerald Haywood, the horse-wrangling sister to Daniel Kaluuya in Jordan Peele’s Nope. “I’m not mad—I’ve found so many different ways to contextualize that archetype … [but] when do I get a chance to be the boss? When do I get to be in a position where people see me as somebody that can make big decisions?”
In our socials-first era, Palmer is also synonymous with a knack for virality—she’s the woman who didn’t recognize Dick Cheney (her famous apology: a shrugging “I’m sorry to this man”) and who deadpanned to Amelia Dimoldenberg on Chicken Shop Date in 2022 that she’d like to be reincarnated as a rock. That mix of dry candor and canny timing has made her an Internet mainstay. “Digital—I’m into it,” she notes casually. “I observe more than anything. It’s a living, breathing reflection of culture.”
After acclaimed turns in films such as Nope and One of These Days, Palmer finds herself occupying more rarefied cinematic air. Up next, she’ll lead Boots Riley’s anarchic satire I Love Boosters, which premiered to rave reviews at SXSW and will open in theaters on May 22. Palmer plays Corvette, the defiant kingpin of the Velvet Gang, a Robin Hood-esque cohort that shoplifts luxury goods to resell at a discount as a form of “fashion forward philanthropy.”
Like Riley’s previous feature, Sorry to Bother You, the film moves in zany, sometimes fantastical directions—whimsical and metaphysical detours that are best left unspoiled—while also weaving in pro–labor politics. Corvette may embody the underdog archetype Palmer is used to, but the character pushed her into more complex territory. At its core, the movie is about community, and asks whether you can want more for yourself without diminishing the people around you. Palmer’s comic snap and devil-may-care joie de vivre carry the laughs, but there’s a vulnerability to her performance that grounds the film’s more deranged impulses, allowing its big ideas to land harder.
The actor’s career has long outgrown any single lane: She executive produces projects like The ’Burbs on Peacock, in which she also stars, and runs KeyTV, her own media and content company behind projects like Turnt Up with the Taylors. She’s the author of two books. And then there’s Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, her deep-dive interview podcast that has featured guests including Kamala Harris and Mariah Carey. Palmer also recorded new songs for I Love Boosters, written by Riley’s daughter, Alina. (Lest you forget, Palmer has released three studio albums of soulful R&B.) “Honestly, it was radical to be able to build this kind of world,” she says.
Though Palmer may still favor the unlikely hero, it’s time for her to acknowledge that she’s transcended its limitations. After Boosters, she’ll appear in Spaceballs 2 and Ride or Die, is in talks for a sequel to One of Them Days, and is exploring another project with LaKeith Stanfield, who stars in Boosters. She’s also launching a wellness platform and preparing a TED Talk. “I’m just trying to play it all out,” Palmer concludes when I note how much she has on her plate. “More is definitely more.”
Hair by Jamika Wilson
Makeup by Kenya Alexis
Nails by Ginger Lopez
Production by Palm Productions
Photography Assistance by Kurt Mangum and Kevin Faulkner
Styling Assistance by Lateef Abdullah
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