Keke Palmer has landed the perfect job. The 15-year-old actress best known for roles in Akeelah and the Bee and The Longshots will star in Nickelodeon’s new weekly series “True Jackson, VP.”
The show is about a trendy teenager who gets tapped to serve as vice president of fashion label Mad Style after she impresses the company’s head with her fashion sense.
This role is a dream come true for the young star because before she started acting Keke was a huge fan of Disney’s "That’s So Raven" and felt that she could lead a sitcom. "I just felt like everyday when I woke up, my life was like ‘That’s So Raven,’ or like my life was a TV show."
When it comes to playing True Jackson, Keke said although she isn’t really into fashion, she has a lot in common with her character. “We’re absolutely alike. She’s self-motivated, she’s persistent, she’s hard working, she’s determined,” Keke said, adding, "We’re both doing things that people may think only adults can do."
This is the teen star’s first TV series and she loves her new schedule. "I know what I’m going to do, I know when I’m doing it; it’s just really organized," Keke told us. Nothing like life on a movie set where actors have to wait for hours in a trailer far from home until their scene starts. Keke said working in L.A. is cool because her friends come to the set of the show to visit her all the time. It’s also easier on Keke’s parents and siblings who always travel with her when she films movies. "I can’t travel by myself; that’s scary," she said.
Keke said her fans are going to love the fashion on “True Jackson” and learn lessons about adulthood. "They’re going to see that when you go into the adult world, it’s not too much different from high school. And they’re going to see why they need to stay in school and learn.”
Keke says fans will also love her high-energy best friend Lulu, played by Ashley Argota. Ashley is known for being laid-back off camera but when she turns into Lulu she’s a live wire—more like Keke in real life. "I have way more energy than [True] does. I’m bouncing off the walls on set," Keke said.
Of course, Keke does have a serious side and it will be showcased in the 2009 drama Shrink starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Williams. She’ll play a patient dealing with the death of her mother.
"True Jackson, VP" will air every Saturday at 8:30 p.m. on Nickelodeon. Check out a scene from the show below.
– Sabrina M. Parker
Photos courtesy of Nickelodeon.
