Keke Palmer

23:05Like, it gets, you know, so it's that. But sometimes it's like, that's what it needs to be. Yeah, that's right. So I'm also in a season of practicing restraint. Oh! I'm trying to pull. When I tell you I'm raining my shit in, like my name is Rudolph. I'm raining in it. Season of restraint. Season of restraint. Okay, what does that look like? I feel that. So, God, that is so hard. It's like seeing something and knowing something and not saying it. You know, having a conversation and deciding to let reality show me instead of pulling for more, asking for more. You know, if it doesn't feel good, right, if I have to contort myself or push in order for it to happen, deciding that that that I should pull back.

23:52Yeah. You know what I mean? And I'm really happy that I'm in this season. And I and again, I always bring everything back to my son. But my son is really bringing out the best in me because as a mom, I feel like we had to practice restraint. That's right. Because we got to let our kids learn things. That's right. We can't always step in the way. And so that's teaching me that, wait a minute, I probably should be pulling back in a lot of areas in my life. And not only will that actually be a better service to the things that I'm a part of, but I'll also have more energy. Oh, yeah. When it's time for me.

24:22And it's a hard lesson. It was a hard lesson for me to learn, which is actually people feel closer to you when they get to take care of you, which barf. I mean, like, like, like, like, I was like, what? Why am I so adverse to that? What do you mean? I know. I was like, what do you mean? I take care of people. That's my love language. And it's like, no. And what are you going to do for me? You're not even going to do it right. I got to relax with that. You got to do it. I know. I sometimes feel like you, an obligation that nobody's asking for, by the way. People aren't asking it of me, but an obligation to mirror, match, and take care of people.

24:59And then secondly, speaking of Rashida, Kodada, her sister taught me this. She was like, you cut the cords when you get home, right? Boom. Girl, when you started talking about visualizations, give us Melissa Joan Hart, Sabrina Teenage Witch, Michelle, my girl. These are good rituals. Do you know about cutting the cords? Girl, I've been cutting somebody cord for the last month. Let's say it's a relationship, even a family member. Whatever the thing you feel like is hooked to you. Yeah. For me, I was imagining the cord of this relationship that I felt was weighing me down. It was not good for me.

25:33I was feeling too emotionally. pulled from it constantly. So she walked me through visualizing a cord. And it was like, the cord was thick. It was like the weight of a ton. It was like thick, like almost leathery. And I could feel it right around my sacral area. You know what I mean? It's deep. It's deep rooted to my power source. And I just sat there and said, you know what? I need a knife. No, I need a motherfucking axe to cut this shit. So I just start visualizing where this cord is, right? You're in this message. And every day I was axing it. And it would try to come back. It would try to rejuvenate itself.

26:14And I kept axing it, axing it, axing it. And now it's gone. It's no longer there. But these visualization tools are absolutely necessary. For me, it's more about that feeling when you walk through a cobweb. And you get that feeling where you've got a cobweb on you. And you know it's around and it's kind of sticky. I think that way sometimes when I walk through my house, which is I got to get rid of other people's cobwebs. And it can be like person that you walk past to that like gave you a shitty look or a bad conversation or even just like some version of yourself that you didn't like that day.

26:48That kind of feeling of entering a threshold clean and clear, whatever it takes. My grandma, I didn't realize this until I got older and I started to reflect back. my grandma used to always do, tell me and teach me to sweep in front of the porch and sweep in back of the porch. And it was just like this same kind of concept of removing everything, making sure, you know, it's clean, you know, cleaning your space and kind of setting the tone and setting the area. I think those things like getting back into that stuff and talking with other women about that kind of thing, it's just feels so empowering.

27:24It's so good for the soul. You know what I mean? Okay. I feel like you got a lot of this really good sense of how to read people from Chicago where you grew up. And I bet a lot of people don't assume you're from the Midwest. They don't. They don't, but I feel like I give Midwest. What's the most Midwest thing about you? Well, I love the mundane. Wait.

27:51Like, I love simplicity. Yes. And that's why when people are always like, they always are interested in my dating life or, you know, what type of, it's like, I'm always interested in Everyday Joe. Because that reminds me of where I'm from. And that doesn't mean that Everyday Joe's not special. It just means that he's not flashy. He's not flamboyant. He's not taking up, you know, he might take up space because he's awesome, but he's not, like, that's not how he enters. And I feel like that's, Chicago is very blue collar. It's very, like, people are amazing and awesome, but they're kind of like, no big deal.

28:21Totally. And so I love that kind of energy when people don't have to put on too much. You know what I'm saying? They can be themselves and they can give a little jazz, but it doesn't have to be like for a certain thing. It's just them being a cool person. Totally. I love like, you know, picnics. Yeah. Going to the lake, you know, being in a trailer. I love a trailer. I love going like around a road trip type of situation. Like just things that I feel like are very salt of the earth.

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31:13Who is a Chicago star that you saw when you were there? Bernie Mac. Oh my God. Can we talk about Bernie Mac? Bernie Mac, baby. Bernie Mac, Chicago legend. I love Bernie Mac. Bernie Mac's mom. Rest in peace, Bernie. Rest in peace. We love Bernie. He hosted SNL. He was so nice. I miss Bernie so much. Tell me why he was important to you and how you met him. You know, because he was—so I actually never met Bernie Mac. I didn't get to meet him, which is devastating. You know, it's devastating. I have a couple of those people, too, where I'm like— I didn't meet Whitney Houston. Yeah. God, Whitney would have loved you.

31:46And I feel like we would have been like— You know, 100%. I feel like we would have just went—but I loved her daughter, Bobby Christina. Yeah. Me and Bobby Christina met on MySpace, and we would always be like, hey, girl, hey, girl. Love Bobby Christina. Rest in peace to Bobby Christina, too. Yes. But, yeah, I always loved Bernie because he was so funny and so real. And always was able to ride the wave of, like, being edgy and saying something true. But also still, like, I think the wonderful thing about any great comedian is to be able to bring up difficult topics and metabolize them. Help the public metabolize them through entertainment.

32:22And I think he was great with that. Totally. And he just was, yeah, he just, he also seemed like a really sweet person. And everybody loved Bernie, too. You know what I mean? And so he just seemed to have a genuine spirit and obviously a great inspiration. So I love, whatever I think about, you know, anybody Chicago greats, you know, Bernie Mac is one of the first people that come in my mind. Now I'm picturing you and Whitney, though, singing on stage. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. That would have been, God. That would have been incredible. Okay. Okay, sorry. But so you're in Chicago, and both of your parents were actors.

32:52Yeah. Not professional, but they did it off-road. They met that way. They met that way. They did speech and terp. They met actually at a speech competition in New Orleans. That's where they had Papa's for the first time. They always bring that up. Because I guess like back then Popeye's was like Raising Cane's or like Chick-fil-A before it became national. Like it was only in New Orleans. So they always talk about that was the first time we had Popeye's. Also Popeye's is branded this. No, I'm kidding. But they loved it. They always talk about that. They talk about their story of falling in love through the arts.

33:20When they got back to Chicago, my mom went to New York and she was going to be a, you know, actress and performer. me and my dad stayed in Chicago and they would be like pen pals writing letters back and forth and talking on the phone every now and then. And my mom couldn't afford tap shoes. So my dad like spent all his money and like she had tap shoes at her door like the following week. And that was so touching to her. And he was so supportive of her. And then one day he did. She doesn't hear from him. And she's like, where's the motherfucker? She's like, yes, she's like a few days have gone by.

33:48Like, who the hell? Where the hell? And finally she gets a call and she's like angry. She's like, what do you mean Larry? Larry got into a car. He got into a big accident. Oh my gosh. And his mouth has been like closed shut. So he couldn't speak. She was on the next flight out. And she said, I knew how I felt then that I had to be with this man for the rest of my life. So she goes back to Chicago. They do theater in Chicago at the Black Ensemble Theater started by Jackie Taylor. It still goes on. And my parents performed in this really cool musical called The Other Cinderella. and they just fell in love.

34:26Foreshadowing. Right, right, right. Which is crazy, right? Because Kiki was in Cinderella. It's so weird to me, these little like things. And yeah, and then they started having kids and it was kind of a dreams deferred situation. They were like, oh, reality hit. What I love, you speak all the time so beautifully about it, is how your family made a big sacrifice to kind of support your dream. They moved from Chicago to LA. Your siblings came too, right? My siblings came too. They came. They all picked up and moved. They all picked up. So we drove four days and three nights. And then when we got there, it was like, oh, my gosh, we're so broke.

34:59You know what I mean? How are we going to pull things together? So I get an agent. And we have been talking and emailing. And I had met some people before on a one trip that I went with my parents. So we knew who I was going to be working with. And I got me an agent immediately. I mean, really very quickly, I got a job. When I got that job. What was the job? It was a movie that I did with William H. Macy. I was 10 years old. And it was called The Wool Cap. And like it was kind of like a play on Gigo. So like he didn't talk. And I was like this little girl that was like, this is me and my friend, you know, we need this.

35:30You know, the movie is so it's so old. It was like a TNT film. Anyhow, we did this movie and my mom and I went to Montreal. It was the first time that my parents had like not been around each other 24-7, you know, in like since she was 19. Because a lot of people don't know when you're a minor and you're on set, you need an adult guardian with you at all times. But then it's like they're only going to pay for one. Right. So my dad stayed back. And this was like kind of a moment where the family experienced what we knew we never wanted to really have to experience again, which was separation. Yeah.

36:02So my dad was in L.A. making sure we had a good place to stay. My sisters and my sister and my younger brother and sister went back with my grandma for a little bit. Yeah. And then when we came back after that movie, we knew that it was like whatever situation we get in, we need to make it to where we can be together at some point. like we have to figure this out. And so that was like the beginning. And so that caused for a lot of sacrifices. It's a lot of pressure on you too. It's a lot of pressure on you. For sure. Tons. And that I couldn't really hold. I think in the beginning, I probably talked about it more.

36:35And then as time went on, it was just like, if I talk about this anymore, I'm going to break. Yeah. Because you've decided to do something that you love. You're a natural at it. You, the family is like, okay, we're behind you. And then of course, like with that comes like an expectation that you're not you can't complain about the thing that's hard to do and you can't change your mind about the thing that's hard to do no and you have to keep doing the thing that you are really naturally good at and love to do because it's it's taking care of a lot of people it's a lot heavy on that last part because our lives changed tremendously yeah and once you when you're when you when you're in poverty you don't really know too much.

37:13I mean, especially at the age in which I was, you know, when I left, I was 10. So it, it didn't really hit me yet that like, this could be a problem. Now, certain things did, right? Like I had experienced discrimination with my race. I had experienced like, oh, I can't get K-Swiss at Payless. You know, I'd experienced some things, but they weren't, it wasn't so heavy yet. I still felt like, you know, and then when you actually see it, when I actually started to see what I was missing out on, what my family was missing out on. I felt that they deserve so much more. I felt we deserve so much more.

37:47So then it became like, how do I make sure that we get to have what I realized was like really things that all human beings should have. But that's a, that's adult thinking and behavior. That's adultified, parentified stuff pretty early. And you've talked about, I love how you talk about it. I know you talk about it with your family. Like it feels like you've really in a way that I think few people you know because you just certainly don't have to be an actor to have that happen to you can have it can be any and any vacation of the child is actually quite common exactly under capitalism it is tough but it's the truth and I think that's been such a big part of my healing and my family's healing because it all cost us something People judge my parents so badly.

38:31They really, really judge them. And that was a hurt that I didn't know because I was also feeling what I was feeling in my position. And so them owning what us talking about it and owning what that experience did to all of us to be so perceived, to be so judged for what some things were out of our control. Like, I mean, how can you be how can you reject the reality that my parents weren't going to get the same opportunities that I was getting? Also, they had a daughter like you and you are a very, very special person. I mean, I don't believe anybody's above and anybody's below, but you have a gift.

39:16And I think I realized just how much courage it took my parents to really let me go. Yeah. And really, like, let me be me because, yeah, it was a lot. Little Akilah and the Bee, Kiki. I mean, it must be wild to have your inner child in a movie. It's so crazy. You know, it is like you can go, you're like, I'm going to go check out my inner child and you turn it on. I mean, that performance, you in it, and that moment, it's so tender. It's so precious and so special. It hits me more now. Do you want—has Leo seen that? He hasn't seen it yet. Leo does—has shown that he doesn't think I'm that dope.

40:01He has— Yeah. It has started to appear that I'm not really cool to him. I remember I was playing some, I was playing some Drake, you know? Uh-huh. And I was like, hey, hey, hey. I was like, hey, G, hey, G. Mommy, no. Oh, yeah. Don't dance. Stop it. Stop it. No. You need to stop being silly. You're like, everybody loves when I get silly. Silly pays the bills, honey. Everybody loves when I do the silly thing. You hate it somehow. Oh, yeah. He's like, cut that shit out. Oh, yeah. It's crazy how brutal they can be. It's, I mean, his space for my silliness is this much. He'll gag with me for a minute and then he's like, stop.

40:46He's like, please, cut the clown show. It's so crazy. It's so true. It's so true. It's so true. But that's healthy. That's healthy. That is healthy. Oh, my gosh, because it really set you straight. And also, you do not want your kid to be like, you do not want your kid taking care of, taking care of your ego and feelings. You just don't. You don't want them to be like, oh, I gotta make sure that mom feels funny today. Oh my gosh. That's dangerous. Like if you're a kid. My son the other day was like doing back to me all my fake laughs and I was like, I feel so seen. He was like, mom, you know, you didn't think it was that funny.

41:24And I'm like, what do you mean? He's like, well, because you were like, and I was like, what? And he was like, you know when you go and I was like, and I go stop paying attention to me it's so incredible they're really they're always watching okay can I talk to you about a couple people that you work with because there are some people that you work with that I love and I know you've worked with some very very special people and they've meant a lot to you and you've you have worked with so many wonderful women and I do want to ask and specifically focus on the women that you've worked with? Angela Bassett.

42:04Okay, talk about Angela Bassett. Angela Bassett, hands down, incredible. Working with her on Akeel and the Bee was the best gift that I could have coming into this industry. And she taught me something that I didn't really understand well enough till later. But she taught me a skill of how to get to the emotion without damaging yourself. Because I think for many years, because I didn't have a lot of experiences as a kid, it was hard for me to attach what the character was going through to something that had happened to me. That's very interesting. Without damaging myself. without being like, my grandma died.

42:34And so when I was on set with her, I had a scene where Dr. Larry leaves me, you know, doesn't help me anymore. And she, I can't cry. I can't get to the emotion. And she's like, who helps you with everything? I'm like, oh, you know, my mom. You know, who takes you, who helps with your lines? Who takes you to the auditions? I'm like, my mom. She was like, well, what if your mom said, I'm not helping you anymore? You can't do the thing that you love. And I immediately started crying. And that was like something that I now understand. I do it all the time. But for many years, from that moment in between, I struggled with doing the wrong thing, which could be really hurtful to you as an actor because your emotions don't know that you're kidding.

43:14That's right. Sometimes what helps me cry is I'm like, I'm doing such a bad job in the scene. I can't cry. I'm not kidding. Queen Latifah. Okay. Dana. Dana is so remarkable. She's really something. She taught me what it means to be a CEO, to be a businesswoman in the game. Dana, if you're listening, please come on. Oh, yo. Have you had her on your pod? Yeah, she doesn't do. I ain't saying that. She doesn't do pods. She doesn't do it. Come do me and Kiki's pods. We'll do it together. That would be sickening. Yeah, she's something else. Because she doesn't really talk too much. So if you hear her, you'll be like, woo!

43:48Well, she's a queen. She doesn't have to. And boy, does she. She also taught me how to walk. I still haven't got her walk together, but when I tell you, the queen is titties up, ass, back. Incredible. I know. I love the way she walks. I know. It's such a hot walk. Yeah. That back is straight. Yeah. That chest is hot. Regal, smart, funny. Great sense of humor about herself, which like doesn't take herself too seriously. Coolest. Like you learn so much about somebody when they come and host SNL, like immediately. You learn immediately because they're nervous. You learn what people get, what are like when they're nervous or stressed.

44:22She was so fun and funny. And I've told the story before. there was a moment where me and her and Maya had to sing these like jingles and it was very SNL like live show they're counting down like 10 9 8 and then the stage manager's like there's no music 5 4 and we're like what 3 and she's like just sing without music 2 1 and we're like and after she was like she just like had such a good time with that the chaos the chaos yeah What did you learn from her? That people are watching, even when you don't think they're watching. Because I remember when I'd worked with her, I started working with her a couple of different times.

45:03And I was like, you know, one of the last times the director was like, you know, it was hard to figure out who we wanted to give the role to. And we spoke to Queen and we asked who she thought was the best person for the job. And she said you. And so I was thanking her for like, you know, thank you for believing in me. And she said, well, Kiki, I've actually been, you know, it's not just me believing you. I've actually been seeing, watching you. And I'm like, damn, you was watching. And she was like, you are professional. You show up to everything that you do. And so keep, because you don't know.

45:32I just remember thinking in that moment, like, wow. Like, my work ethic precedes me. You know, the way that I continue to move into the game, it's going to count for something at some point. Also, it's not what you say, it's what you do. You know what I'm saying? Like, even though we like to talk, you like to talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. Like, my, I, acts of service for me is a love language. Like, the way people, what people do. You can say whatever you want, but, like, what did you actually do? And it sounds like she was, like, she did things. She made things happen for you. Continuously over time.

46:09Yeah. That's amazing. Do you like to cry? Are you a good crier in real life? Yeah. I think so. Are you an easy crier? I think I'm that person that's like, time to cry. But do you cry by yourself or same? I cry actually alone quite a lot. I love crying alone. Some people can say I have a depression issue. No, I love crying alone. But I love to cry alone. Me too. And I save space and hold space for a while. Sometimes I'm like, oh, I'm going to cry tonight. It is. It's like, I'm going to get a TV show. I'm going to get on my bio mat. I'm going to get on my bio mat. I'm going to cry. I'm going to cry like my life depends on it.

46:49I will literally cry, cry, cry. And it's because it's actually like a release. Yes. It's a release of the sadness that you need brought out, that you buried. Maybe it was from yesterday. Maybe it was from 10 years ago. But you caught it in the ether of your mind. Like, I never cried about that. I think I also have a lot of anger. A lot of anger because, you know, it's such a thing as a black woman where it's like, can be angry. Oh, yeah. But then it's like, it goes to the point where it's like, bitch, you should be angry for that. Yeah. You know what I mean? That's right. And so I feel like I'm dealing now with the realities of holding space for the fact that I'm allowed to be angry without wearing the weight of the perception around being an angry black woman.

47:31Oh, yeah. You know, so I think I have a lot of work to do there where I allow myself the space to be pissed off. Yeah. So the idea of just like, I started getting into rock music a little bit more. Fuck yeah. I got a couple rock songs that I wrote. Whoa. Oh, my gosh. And I'm like, yeah. Because I'm letting that rage out. You know what I mean? I'm going to need to be like, yeah. Because it's like I'm actually angry. Yeah. You know? Fuck yeah. I didn't let it out. Fuck yeah. No shit. It's crazy. God, I love that for you, Kiki. I love that. I love that anger. I love that era for you. I do like that very much.

48:11Very Khalees. I hate you so much right now

48:19It's important Wait what are some good angry songs That was a good one Oh my gosh I love that I also love Fifi Dobson I grew up loving Fifi Dobson Oh yes She's like OG classic You know that's my girl What Other songs that are like Really good for screaming Really good for screaming I mean I mean you can go to G4L Like Rihanna back in that one That one right after Good Girl Gone Bad She was pissed Yeah and Bitch Better Have My Money Is not screamy but it's angry. You know what I'm saying? Also, what? No! I just can't figure it out. You remember that one? I love that album because that album was like the second album was like good girl going bad and then the second album was like yo I'm in a dark place angry.

49:00It was really, I mean those albums were just so curated in a way that told the story of a woman becoming. I felt that way with Mary J. Blight. Mary is that too. Mary had like a way of expressing that like mature anger. Oh my gosh. Mary. Mary. And then I'm just fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Like she showed us everything. Yeah, she showed us the whole arc. I know. Let's get it. Mary, I also am obsessed. I'm obsessed with Mary. And now she's on stage like, can't wait to get off. Also, did you ever hear... I love her down. That's success. You know? The minute you're on, you're waiting to get off. True Capricorn energy.

49:50Oh, she's... You're so right. We don't hear it. Mary, please, if you and Queen are listening to this together, please come on. Please. Okay, J-Lo. Oh, love J-Lo. Okay, I feel like you guys have a work... No Biden can get me up off her. My girl! Okay, what did you love about working with her? Well, first of all, I love that she's a real boss bitch and she don't play. Yeah. She's very like, come on. But she's, again, watching. And she has respect for people that are showing up and giving 100%. Yeah. And so we kind of bonded because she saw me like on my grind. I wasn't like trying to be too like, I mean, I'm more a fan.

50:28But I was like, I have so much respect for you. And then boom, I'm going to do what I got to do and I'm focusing on my thing. And she was kind of like, well, how can I help you with that? Like, how can we? Like, she really liked that I was in my own bag. Yeah. And we became really close after that. And I've gone through things in my life where it's like randomly she'll be like, call me if you need me. I'll call her and she'll give me some real deal. And it's like, it's just like she's a real girl's girl. Mentor. You know what I mean? She's a real mentor. And she's like, I want you to win. You know what I mean?

50:57I want you to win. And also, I want you to win in this way where it's also like you're already winning. Yeah. Which is a really cool way to empower somebody. Yes. You know what I mean? where it's like, Whoopi Goldberg is like that. Whoopi Goldberg is very, very, like, Whoopi Goldberg is like, I'm in chapter 100. You are currently at chapter 30 and I see it. She's very like a sage. I don't think that ever, at least for me, that's never ended, which is the women that are ahead of me, like, I'm just watching them. Like, how are you doing it? How are you operating? What can I learn from you? And then the women younger than me constantly and like thankfully keep challenging the things that I'm very certain about.

51:40Like every time I get certain, I'm like, right, right, right. There's a young person being like, just before you like carve that in stone, you want to give that another thought? And I'm like, fuck, you're so right. Like that's, that's like, it feels like that's the. I really love that because Queen actually said something, Dana said something like that to me before that made me feel so good because people give you so much, you want to be able to give them something. And she has said something around those lines where it's like, you know, it becomes recursive. Because there is something that you can hopefully show because of the groundwork that they laid.

52:15Well, hey, when you laid that groundwork, I decided to go left and I found something new. So maybe we can go left together too. And that's very cool. Yeah, very cool. I got to say one guy. I got to put one guy in this list. Who is Jordan Peele? Oh my gosh, Jordan. I really wish that we worked together again. Your relationship— I miss him a lot. And that film, Nope, you were so incredible in that movie. Thank you. Beautiful, like such charismatic, interesting work. He is so talented, of course. To be directed by him, what's that like? How do you like how he works? How do you like his system? He was the first director that made me realize, and this is no shade to any other director, but made me realize that my opinion was a part of being an actor.

53:05That not just taking the orders of or just doing exactly what, you know, and every director is different. I'm open to that. I really think that's also why I've been working in the industry as I have, because I'm very moldable. I'm very Malibos, I guess I'll say. It's the mutable qualities of Virgo, where I can go where you go. Once I've signed on and if I respect you, that's why, I mean, I've only signed on if I respect you. And so I'm open to where you want to take me. Totally. But his my experience with him was I respect you. Where do you think I should take this? And that was like a really enriching and empowering experience that now I actually take to my projects, even where the director is not as open.

53:45I say, well, I hold their feet to the fire on. Well, on day one, you told me the characters this way so I can go where you want me to go. Yeah. But I want you to know that this is contradictory. And so what does that mean to her at this point in time? What does that actually, you know, so having that experience with him really empowered that side of me that felt like I could be open and vocal about how to keep consistencies in a character. What felt most true to the role? And then he was fun. Because you didn't come from an ensemble. Like you never had that ensemble feeling like of collaborating in that way.

54:20Like it's such a good point. What did you say? Because that's probably that's Jordan. Yeah. Sketch, improv. Like that idea that like, like we're all going to try to figure that out together. And it's just a little less lonely. Like it's a, it can really, at least for me anyway, it was like acting is hard and lonely. And can be, you know, because everybody has their own special thing. Okay. Now, as the therapist would say, I'm aware of the time. But I just, there's a few other things I want to talk to you about. The burbs. Oh my gosh. Hold on, Jenna. Let me look at what is the burbs. Okay. Wait, let me talk about two.

54:56Can I give you that second? This is the first time this has ever happened where I talked to the guests for so long that they have to go to the bathroom. Okay, Kiki Palmer is back. How was the bathroom? Oh, my gosh. That was amazing. Okay, great. It's good to be hydrated, but sheesh. Yeah, okay. So you're in Spaceballs, which is hilarious coming out. You're in I Love Boosters. Huge film. Incredible cast. You guys. Shout out to Boots Riley. I love him so much. And like that movie just looks so fun and original. Congrats on that. And then The Burbs, another season of that, which is starting to shoot in the fall.

55:35Yeah. And so we have a question for you from Miss Paula Pell. So we spoke to Paula. Yeah, let's talk about Paula. She's one of the most incredible humans ever. She really, really is. First of all, she's really talented, skillful writer, very, very funny. but she's the kind of person where you can know you can call her up and drive down to the mountains and just be on the couch and have fun with her and her wife and just have the best weekend. Like she's just really, she reminds me of home, but she's also a Midwestern gal. That's right. You guys are Midwestern gals. So she spoke so highly of you and so lovingly of you.

56:15And we talked well behind your back. And she, you know, is on the burbs with you co-stars in that show. And she had a question that I love and wanted to ask you about because it ties into the idea of rest. And she, her question was, what does it look like for Kiki Palmer to rest? You know, I've learned that for me, rest still is active. I need to be active. I think that's why I like Pilates more than yoga. Yes. Does it make sense? I can't. So rest. Yoga is so slow. I want to die. You know what I mean? There has to be some activity in rest. So rest looks like, for me, a day with my son in the yard playing.

56:56It looks like getting my nails done or my hair done or both. Your nails look incredible. Thank you. I got them done. For me, rest is like a recharge. And then another thing that I've been doing that's kind of more typical on the nose, but I've realized that it's really good for me is I've been taking naps. Really? I started taking naps. Fantastic. In the car. In the bathroom just now. That's what I just did. I've literally been, because sometimes you'll be going in between these jobs, it'll be 30 minutes. Oh, yeah. Could even be a 45-minute ride in L.A., depending on where you're going. I started napping.

57:35There's a really cool woman I want you to check out. You should maybe have on your show Dr. Sandra Dalton-Smith. And she did a TED Talk about rest. And also, like, she talks a lot about black women. She's black. Yes. And the need for that specifically, to your point, a very specific kind of rest. Epigenetically, it's like rest is not an option. Rest also, it is like you could have died trying to rest. That's right. You know what I mean? That's right. And so, you know, I feel like any of the, when you think about black lineage, if your family is here today, y 'all definitely didn't rest. That's right.

58:12That's why you're here. That's right. So it's like, it's a lot of undoing. yeah she talks about spiritual rest and creative rest and all this stuff and it's cool and i just like to hear like i thank you for saying that because i also feel like my rest um needs to be a little active and i don't always um know where to put it and you know like puttering is a big one for me just like well i call it puttering but it's just like walking around the house like and it's not housekeeping which is different right like it's not cleaning it's just kind of like like organize it's a little bit of organizing like organizing a pile or just like with no goal just like going from room to room and just kind of thinking about like you know like maybe taking a note like I I gotta remember to I actually love puttering too puttering I gotta remember to change I want to change the cover on that chair I should do that no expectation to do it just like observing in slow motion, you know, and just touching things.

59:10That's the mundane. That's the mundane. That's right. That's the mundane. There's so, that moment in between the scene. And do you do puzzles? You know. Okay, I'm here to tell you. I'm here to tell you. I know. What do you think? It's good. I think that's going to be the next thing for you, because here's why the Virgo and you is going to love a puzzle. Because I'm not particularly good at them, by the way. It's not like I can't like I don't really like have a great puzzle brain. You take the puzzle, you sort the pieces, which feels really nice. You sort them. You walk away. Like puzzles take forever.

59:45There's no like deadline for a puzzle. You get a nice puzzle board or table. You're like, this is where I do my puzzle. Then you come back, you have your coffee and you're like, you know, you're like, this is never, you know, it's going to take me forever to do this puzzle. And then you find one piece and you put it in. You're like fucking hot dog. You get an instant, an instant boost. You did one thing and then you go, maybe I'll try to get one more. And you're like, no, I got to go to work. The puzzle is this like long meditation. I like puzzles for you. You know, when I was a little girl at my grandma's house, we would do puzzles.

1:00:20So there's something that was in there that they could unlock. Okay. Final, final minutes. Speed round. Ooh. Anything you have about any of this, shout it out. Favorite old sitcom. Oh, well, this was the one that came into mind immediately. So I'm going to say this one. Family matters. Yes. But there's many more. But that's just what came to me. Comfort. Comfort watch. Okay. Manicures. You love them. Yeah. How long do your manicures take? And what do you like? Hopefully no more than an hour and 30 minutes. Okay, great. I like to keep it pretty simple. A color with maybe like a glaze or a chrome or, you know what I mean?

1:00:56Right now I've got the French chip with a little glaze. I try to keep it like where it goes with everything. I'm not the girl that's like, I was there for three hours. No, no. Okay. Stand-up comedy. Would you ever do it? Yes. You do it every day. No, but I would totally love to do, I need to find a writing partner. I would love to do a stand-up show. You've got an hour already of material. You go on The Hollywood Reporter, you do that thing, you talk about two girls in one comedy. And Quinta goes, Kiki. I'm like, that is it. You're so naturally funny. I really want to do one one day. Okay. All right.

1:01:26We're going to do that. You're going to do that. If you want to do it, you're going to do it. Album you're listening to right now. Oh, album I'm listening to right now. Who are you listening to right now? You know, I haven't totally digested the Drake album. I've listened to a few songs. A lot of songs. I haven't completely digested Don Toliver's last project, but I like listening to him a lot. You know, I'll be honest with you. There's not many artists that I'm like, I want to get the album. If there's a song old or new right now, like if you were like, let's start dancing, like I want to get the party going, what would you play?

1:01:54My love. Do you ever think of Candy, cold, and rainbow? Everybody will be dancing. Okay, have you ever seen a ghost? I think I felt one. Can you tell that I never want you to leave? Okay, you felt one. I think I felt one. Okay, great. I think I felt the spirit of a ghost. Do you have a go-to baby present? Money. money just money y 'all need it come on we all could use it you know what I mean money is like my life but hand it to the baby yeah I do the old school I put something in a card make sure you won't put a card before the baby put something in a card you know what I mean and they're like yeah yeah love oh my god okay and then lastly what's making you laugh these days like what do you a video a show a like Like, is it a friend?

1:02:54Are you reading something? When you're like, when you need a laugh, what do you watch, read, do? Where do you go? Where do you get it? Honestly, with my friends. I'm always having something to talk about. There's something going on. There's something. So I'm a real like, one of my good friends, Ian, we be laughing on the phone like nobody's business. Now, see, you like to talk on the phone with Ian. Yeah, he's good, though. Okay.

1:03:21and honestly it'll be like a 10 minute you know it's like oh that's perfect you know it's not we got you know it's not hours because we just be like oh my gosh I gotta go and I'm like I gotta go and you know I can't be on the phone too long boom and it's like done but we are like how did you guys meet we met through my other really good friend Courtney and so Courtney introduced me to Ian and Ian is just so funny he is like he line dances like he line dances at the party he gets us all together He's a party pumper. He is. He's so much fun. So we be cackling, feet kicked back. My sisters also make me laugh.

1:03:53Like, I'm so community. Like, my people, like, we be laughing, cutting up, you know? Yeah. Kiki, it makes perfect sense because you do that for us. Like, I cannot tell you how many years, like, you know, I have the pleasure to know you now. But just before I knew you, like, you made me, you gave me such joy. And you continue to do that for me all the time. you're so yourself you're so real you're so funny you're so talented I just love you like I literally have to I'm like so like overstimulated I'm like hugging holding myself because I'm like oh let's do the hundreds

1:04:33you were so awesome thank you so much for doing this I love you like legit same right back I mean you're Kiki Palmer Lauren Kiki Palmer the talent of all talents here today thanks for being here Love having you. Yay! Oh, my gosh. Thank you so much, Kiki. You are, oh, God, I could have talked to you all day. You're so funny and fun to be around and positive and interesting and the real deal. Kiki Palmer, thanks for joining us. And, you know, we talked about work and we talked about rest. And for this Polar Plunge, I just want to point everyone's attention to a very cool woman who speaks about rest, the seven types of rest.

1:05:13We mentioned her in the podcast and she has an interesting TED talk and books about just that. Her name is Dr. Sondra Dalton-Smith and her seven types of rest. And it just makes me think about how important it is to find ways to do that, whatever it may be. Like, for example, me, I don't know, going in my bedroom and sticking my feet under the mattress and putting a sweatshirt over my eyes.

1:05:45but let's not get specific, but you know what I mean. But I hope that this episode and Good Hang episodes are a way for you to rest. And so rest away and we will catch you next time. Thanks so much. Bye. You've been listening to Good Hang. The executive producers for this show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weiss-Berman, and me, Amy Poehler. The show is produced by The Ringer and Paper Kite. For The Ringer, production by Jack Wilson, Kat Spillane, Kaya McMullin, and Alea Zanaris. For Paper Kite, production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell, and Jenna Weiss-Berman. Original music by Amy Miles.