Across television, film, music, literature and live theatre, Keke Palmer has rarely left a stone unturned. And she’s certainly not looking to give up the exploration any time soon.
With the release of One of Them Days, not only is Palmer headlining alongside the Grammy-winning SZA, she’s flexing her big boss energy as one of the film’s executive producers, as well as contributing to the soundtrack under her DivaGurl moniker.
The buddy comedy, centering around best friends and roommates Dreux (Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA) who are about to have “One of Them Days” when they discover Alyssa’s boyfriend has blown their rent money leading the the duo to go to the extreme in a comical race against the clock to avoid eviction and keep their friendship intact.
As the film arrives in Australian theatres this week (you can read our review here), our own Peter Gray spoke with the multi-hyphenate about collaborating with SZA, the connective tissue between her many creative outlets, and what’s the one piece of advice she would share with her One of Them Days character.
An absolute pleasure to speak to you. I wouldn’t be able to go past the fact that after I saw you in Nope, I was ready to start that Oscar campaign. That performance was immaculate.
Thank you so much.
And I’m a fan of your music. Big Boss, the Lauren EP, DivaGurl…killing it!
Oh, I so appreciate that.
Going off that, you’re this multi-hyphenate artist. You’ve transitioned so seamlessly between singing, acting and hosting. With One of Them Days, how do you feel your diverse creative experiences helped inform your approach to developing Dreux as a character?
You know, I think Dreux as a character is someone I’ve been developing over five, six years. And it’s interesting how much of life informs your opinion and the art that you create. I think the thing that I loved about Dreux the most that resonated with me and in my growth as a person is just that constant climb for success. That wanting to break generational curses and wanting to get out of the system. The systemic struggle of poverty. I related so much to that. The way that I dealt with it in my life was through community, and I think that was a big thing we wanted to make sure we captured with the film. That aspect of community. And, I mean, not even just for the young people, but just the people today that are dealing with things. So, I loved that being a centre point for Dreux.
And the chemistry between yourself and SZA is so incredibly organic. It feels like we’ve always seen the two of you on screen together. It’s just such a natural collaboration. Was it that instant for the two of you? How did that conversation start to work together?
It absolutely was instant. Sometimes you just have chemistry with people, and from the moment she and I did the chemistry read and we were saying our lines together and doing improv, we knew there was something special about how we vibed. I don’t know that I can explain it, but I’m happy to have found it. That’s what happens as a creative when you just jive with folks, and it’s good to keep pushing in that, because it pushes you to grow and be your best.
As you balance all those creative outlets, is the throughline for you that connective tissue of wanting more and pushing more?
I think it is. I feel like, “Man, we all on the Earth. What are we doing?” Not that there’s some big thing that we can do, but we got to find something to do if we’re going to have to be here. I gotta do life. Literally. You know? I’m the president of humanity. I think that’s my storyline. I found this craft that I love, that I enjoy, so it’s like a tool. My parents gave me that expression, and it’s so freeing, because I was always the kid that had so many emotions, so having place to put them through entertainment was huge for my mental health and my growth as a person.
And as I’ve gotten older, I think I’ve wanted to give that opportunity to others like me, and so that’s where I think the representation and why (my) drive continues to have many faces. It goes beyond just me being a performer, but me being a conduit. It’s what I’m doing with KeyTV and helping people finance their projects and connect them with collaborators that are going to help them bring their vision to life, and give them an essential play-by-play about how I’ve been able to do this myself. It’s all connected to the same source of being engaged with life and wanting to enjoy it as much as I can.
Was there anything that you learned about yourself as a performer that came about during One of Them Days that you weren’t expecting?
I remember when I was on Raven-Symoné’s podcast, she told me how much I was going to enjoy my 30s. It’s the decade of revelations. And I feel like, for me, in all my years in this industry, you know I’ve been working since I was nine, it’s so cool to see it give me life. It’s such an interesting thing. I think that’s the feeling I have. That I have done this for so long, but I can do more.
Your execution of comedy is so flawless. It’s something that comes so easily to you. Was there anything that you brought specifically to One of Them Days that surprised your director?
So much of what I do and what you see in One of Them Days, whether it’s from myself or from SZA, it’s 100% who we are. We are living in the moments of those characters and bringing our own flair to it. There were so many moments where we would improv and just go off on our own tangent, and they put it in the movie.
And if you could give Dreux one piece of advice, what do you think it would be? From Keke to Dreux…
Bro, it’s always going to work out. Don’t worry. Yeah, it’s going to work out. You’re going to figure it out. You’re going to make it. Just stay focused, take it day by day, and be kind to yourself.
Couldn’t be a better way to finish. Thank you again for taking the time with me. It’s an incredible film, I had so much with it. I’m a fan of yours, Miss Palmer, so thank you so much.
I appreciate that. Take care of yourself. Thank you so much, Peter.
One of Them Days is screening in Australian theatres from March 6th, 2025.
