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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 23, 2013)
News Keke Palmer: The ‘Full Circle’ Interview By Kam Williams Special to The Skanner News ‘Follow your heart’s truth with no need for personal gain other than the feeling produced when doing what you truly love’ B orn in Harvey, Ill., on Aug. 26, 1993, Lauren Keyana Palmer has been wowing audiences since the tender age of nine. Keke first received great acclaim when she starred as the title character in the sleeper hit “Akeelah and the Bee,” opposite actor Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett. Keke followed that powerful performance with lead roles in “The Longshots,” “Shrink” and “Joyful Noise.” She’s also made memorable appearances in such films as “Bar- bershop 2: Back in Business,” “Cleaner” and “Madea’s Family Reunion,” as well as voiceover work in animated features like “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” “Winx Club: The Secret of the Lost Kingdom” and “Unstable Fables: Tor- toise vs. Hare.” Keke will next be starring in the horror thriller “Animal,” directed by Brett Simmons, which is set to release in the spring of 2014. On TV, Keke played the title character on the hit Nickelodeon series “True Jackson VP,” and received four NAACP Awards for “Best Actress in Children’s Tele- vision.” Her other television credits include “90210,” “Cold Case,” “Law & Order: SVU,” and “ER,” to name a few. In 2012, she produced and starred in her first made for TV movie entitled “Rags,” which aired on Nickelodeon. Earli- er this year, she handled another title role in the Lifetime made-for-TV movie, “The Carlina White Story.” Keke is currently starring in the DirectTV miniseries “Full Circle,”written by Neil LaBute. And musically, she is in the studio recording her second album with the award- winning producer Bangladesh. When she isn’t acting or singing, Keke believes in giving back. She is very involved with the Boys & Girls Club of America, Saving Our Daughters, the YWCA, the Embrace Girls Foundation, and she is an ambassador for Robi Reid’s AIDS awareness and prevention organization, the Reid for Hope Foundation. Here she talks about her latest outing as Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas in Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story, a VH1 origi- nal movie. Keke Palmer: No problem, Kam. Glad to be here! KW: What interested you in Crazy Sexy Cool? Were you a fan of TLC as a kid? KP: Being a fan is exactly what made me want to do this film. I wanted to be a part of telling the story of a favorite group of mine. KW: How did you prepare for the role? Is it hard to play a real-life person than a fictional character? KP: I just watched a lot of old footage. I also spent a lot of time with Chilli and just observed her. KW: Was Chilli present on the set making suggestions? KP: Yes! She definitely let me do my thing, but she was always there for questions. KW: How would you describe TLC’s legacy in one word? Lauren Keyana Palmer See KEKE on page 10 Kam Williams: Hi Keke, thanks for another interview. Ella’s SOUP & S OA P Southern Style Cuisine (one taste will bring you back) 3505 N. Mississippi Ave. Mon—Sun 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM Breakfast Lunch Special Dinner Seafood Dessert Each Orders To Go .25¢ 503-927-6708 October 23, 2013 The Portland Skanner Page 9
