Keke Palmer says it’s “dehumanising” to be a child actor
American actor Keke Palmer has reflected upon spending her childhood in the limelight in the entertainment industry.
Palmer’s first role came as an 11-year-old in 2004 when she appeared in Barbershop 2: Back in Business. This led to a series of roles and also to her securing a record deal with Atlantic Records ahead of her debut album in 2007.
Most notably, Palmer was the star of the Nickelodeon series, True Jackson, VP, which ran for three seasons between 2008 and 2011. Last year, the conduct of Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider was the subject of Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
Drake Bell, star of Drake and Josh, revealed he was sexually abused by dialogue coach Brian Peck, who went to prison in 2003 for child sex abuse, but the victim’s name had never been previously shared.
Although Palmer didn’t suffer abuse while working at Nickelodeon, it was still a testing time for her to be thrust into the limelight at such an early age.
She said in a recent interview with The Independent: “It was very, very stressful. I had to deal with a lot of opinions and thoughts and adult [responsibilities] that no kid really wants to deal with. But because I’m happy with my life now, I can’t really sit here and regret any of it or harbour any resentment towards it because I’m out the other side.”
“It’s hard to be a child performer, to get out there and do the banana dance over and over and over again,” Palmer continued. “It can be joyful while it can also be dehumanising, and I work really hard to be transparent about that with the next generation.”
Palmer remains committed to the craft she has been working on since she was a child. She recently starred alongside Sza in the comedy One of Them Days and is also set to star in Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut, Good Fortune, later this year.
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