Keke Palmer Says She Had “Limitations” Put On Her As A Black Child Actress: “It Was Very Much ‘That’s The Black Show’”

Keke Palmer is opening up about the “limitations” she felt were placed on her as a Black child actress at the start of her career.

While speaking with The Cut, the True Jackson, VP alum — who is now 31 but has been acting professionally sine 2004 — said she “wasn’t necessarily in the same conversations as Victoria Justice or Selena Gomez or Miley Cyrus at that time,” referring to fellow child actors turned stars who made their name on shows like Victorious, Wizards of Waverly Place and Hannah Montana, respectively.

“It was very much ‘That’s the Black show’ or ‘That’s Keke Palmer, the Black girl on the network,’” she recalled.

She added, “There is a loss of innocence that comes with the awareness that you’re treated differently that I’d accepted a long time ago.”

As for how she feels now, she shared, “I don’t compare myself to anyone. But I definitely don’t compare myself to any white person.”

Palmer told the outlet that starring on Nickelodeon as True Jackson, a teenager who becomes the Vice President of a fashion company, is the role she still relates to most.

“She was climbing a corporate ladder, working a grown-up job as a kid,” she explained of the role, which she played from 2008 through 2011. “I felt the same way.”

She noted that True “was making it happen for herself independently in the world.”

“Growing up with that character — it bled over into how I wanted to show up, how I want to deal with life,” she said.

Palmer, who landed her breakout role in 2006’s Akeelah and the Bee, said that her parents were “very cautious about the roles [she] played as a young Black child,” noting that they turned down the opportunity for her to work in Half Nelson. Per The Cut, the role ended up going to Shareeka Epps.

“After Akeelah and the Bee, they didn’t think it was good for me to play a drug dealer,” she said.