Keke Palmer & Angela Bassett Reunite After 16 Years

[Angela laughing]

Hey, darling.

It's so good to see you.

You too, pretty girl.

Come on. Let's sit down and chat. [laughs]

[gentle music]

How've you been?

I've been really good. I've been good.

Just working, you know, everything like that.

Same old, same old. What about you?

About the same. Yeah, about the same.

I guess we're twins.

I know, right?

Although people say we look alike anyway, right?

And I live for it.

I'm so thankful because you're so gorgeous.

So, it makes my life that people say that.

Thank you.

Yes.

And I've seen you. I've seen you online imitating me.

Yes.

[Angela] You do a great job.

Thank you so much.

You do a great job.

Thank you. It's one of my most notable impressions.

Everybody's like, do Angela.

You know, it's so funny, Queen Latifah used to have me do it

all, I used to only do it for her.

I just recently started doing it, you know,

online and everything.

[Angela] Really?

But whenever we worked together, I did it for her one time

and she'd be like, do Angela, do Angela.

Okay, so, Keke.

I have, we are here together.

You're finally here. I don't have to watch you online.

I can actually see it right here before me.

I can't believe this. This is insane.

Don't be shy. You're not shy at all.

Let me get myself together.

So I'll go ahead and do your amazing, incredible performance

in American Dream, the Michael Jackson story

where, you know, Katherine catches her husband

cheating on her.

Mr. Joe Jackson. Okay, here we go.

You're a lie. And you're a cheat.

And I don't want you.

[Both] I don't want you, I don't want you no more.

Yes!

[Angela laughing]

I'm telling you. That scene was too good.

You're a lie and you're a cheat.

And I don't want you.

No, I don't want you, I don't want you,

I don't want you, I don't want you,

I don't want you no more.

And that line was improvised.

Now let's get into it. 'Cause, period.

It was too good.

Yes.

Your acting is just too good.

And that's why it's so easy, honestly,

to impersonate in my mind, because I'm like,

you just gotta put that emotion into it.

[Angela laughing]

Bubble up.

It's okay.

It's okay.

Like, yes!

It's so good. And you look gorgeous when you're doing that.

Not everybody can do that.

[Angela laughing]

You'll be like...

So good.

Oh.

I saw What's Love Got To Do With It very young

and American Dream very young.

I mean, you were the most iconic things to me

in both of those films, obviously.

What's Love Got To Do With It, just...

I think it took years for me to know

who the real Tina Turner was.

[Angela] Wow.

[Keke] Because in my mind--

[Angela] Because that came out in '93.

[Keke] Yes.

And we met and worked together in 2006.

Yes.

And I was shocked 'cause I got to work with both of y'all.

I watched that movie all the time and I'm like, oh my gosh,

I'm working with Argentina, essentially.

You know, in my mind, as a little kid,

being able to do Akeelah and the Bee,

I was so blown away that I got to be--

You guys weren't reunited before then, had you?

[Angela] We weren't.

And if we go back to that, I don't know, for some reason

I recall that I got the role because of you.

Is that true?

Really?

I think that you suggested,

they asked who you'd like to be your mom, to play your mom.

I mean, yeah, I've always loved you.

And you said, I want Angela and I, that's what I recall.

That's what I remember during that time.

[Keke] Oh my gosh.

Of how I came around to that project.

They ask you all the time,

but you never know if they're really gonna say,

you know what I'm saying?

And then obviously, everybody loves you.

So I would've never guessed that it was also me saying that.

But I mean obviously Lawrence and I'm like, man,

if we had Angela, Miss Bassett.

[Angela] It might could be.

[Keke] Okay?

[Angela] And it was.

I remember, you know, when I...

I was very nervous and excited with Akeelah and the Bee.

Obviously my first really big staring role.

I was pretty much in every scene, but one.

And I remember just how professional you were.

I think that was really awesome for me with both of you guys

is seeing what it's like to be with a real professional

serious actor that treats everyone well.

And just kind of was a real example of, you know,

what it is to be in success.

I didn't realize it then, but growing, you know,

being my age now, I look back and I'm like, man,

those were my best teachers.

I was doing one of the scenes where Akeelah had to cry.

This is when Dr. Larabee didn't wanna do the Bee

with her anymore, and she was going to her mom,

you know, her mom was like, what's going on, you know?

And I kind of, you know, we were all,

it was all stressed out on set.

There was a lot of tension in the air. Yeah.

[Keke] And I could not focus.

I was just so like, okay.

You know, and it was a lot of pressure.

And I just remember that you looked at me

and you grabbed my hand and you said,

you love what you do, right?

I was like, yeah, I love acting.

You said, and who does that with you?

I said, my mom.

I do it with my mom, we do everything,

all the time together.

And you said, what if she said,

I can't do this with you anymore.

You're gonna do it all on your own

if you're gonna do it at all and I can't be there with you.

How would that make you feel?

And literally in that moment,

I immediately was starting to cry.

And the director was like, roll it, roll it, roll it.

And I just remember thinking about how you helped me

to just focus in and not only focus in,

but to attach it to something that's real for me.

[Angela] Exactly.

Have some memory, some sense of if it were really your mom

or a dear friend or someone close to you.

And I remember you just staring at me

and listening, fully and completely listening.

I think that we have had the tremendous opportunity

in this time period to work with some incredible auteurs.

Yes.

And directors, you know? Jordan Peele in Nope.

Most recently, Nope.

And of course, recently coming up for me with Ryan Coogler.

Tell me, what's it like working,

what it was like working with him.

So I think the greatest thing that I learned

about working with Jordan and just seeing him work

is just how open he is to collaboration.

And we all think about, you know,

the fact that we collaborate, right?

But most of the time and a lot of times

with the director or writer/director,

they're very specific with what they want,

what they're looking for.

But I think Jordan is very different in that regard.

You know, I think he looks to the lines in the script

and what he's written as a guideline,

but not the end all, be all.

He's open to anyone, you know, giving him information

on what his words have inspired them to see.

He's free flowing like water, you know?

To be at the same time such a genius, I think.

Ryan is a lot like that as well. Very collaborative.

Of course, you know, you have the script, the Bible,

but he always ask, you know, you may read it through

and he'll say, does that work for you?

Do these words work for you? Are you cool with it?

You know?

I love that.

He's a little self deprecating there but he's so assured.

It's a lot of heart, a lot of groundedness,

but also in this sort of magical, futuristic kingdom.

And I just trust that he has that all under wraps.

Because all I know is when I sit here with you, you know,

I look into your eyes and I wanna feel you, sense you,

I wanna, you know, feel your heartbeat.

I do feel like now we're in an age in a era

where the black characters are not so cliche in genre.

But when I think about Marvel, you know, I mean, we...

Black Panther always existed as far as I knew.

He's from the sixties.

[Keke] Yeah, he's from the sixties.

But we are now, yeah.

We just didn't get his big movie.

Yeah, we didn't get his big movie.

So I think that's...

They had to lay the groundwork. You know?

[Keke] Exactly.

People had to come around. And boy, did they come around.

It feels like a whole experience for the whole world,

which I think is what we need when we wanna go back out

into the theaters.

[Angela] It is.

It's a party.

And that's very unique, I think, for movie going.

We show up in costumes, we show up with choreography.

You know?

It is a real experience.

We dance at the theater.

It's like nothing you've seen before.

And that's what's so exciting.

That art can inspire that, you know? Can inspire that.

Make a killing with the dollars, also at the box office.

Make it success

because we know we've heard for so many years

when I first got to LA that, you know,

that in chocolate doesn't travel across seas, you know?

Yeah. It's not international.

Exactly.

Not true.

That's just something said. But it's not the truth.

No. Because black is everywhere.

[Angela] Exactly.

So if it's everywhere...

In fashion, in music, in art.

In every country, you know.

So, yeah.

It is crazy how long it takes to remove some of those myths.

But, Black Panther, Wakanda, you know,

Jordan Peele, what he's been able to do.

Those project, those people, them taking those chances,

that has really definitely broken those barriers

and showed people that that's not the reality.

That yes, we are international.

Absolutely.

And that's with talented individuals, intriguing stories,

and talented actors, like yourself.

Thank you.

On the screen.

I remember after What's Love, you talk about that,

there were 18 months, a year and a half when I didn't work,

you know?

And was it because you were turning a lot of things down?

No.

[Keke] There was no material out there?

There was no material. There was nothing offered.

[Keke] Wow.

And now I guess, maybe you're in this position

where you've been nominated for an Oscar,

you're a lead in this picture.

What do you do then?

But you can't trick yourself into thinking

I've got to be the lead in every situation

that I find myself.

No, you know?

You can't, you know, you can't do that.

Yeah.

And it's really just like you said about the best material.

But I do like that you mentioned that

because I do think people think that sometimes

that when you, I think anybody that really loves acting

knows that that's not the real vibe.

But I think sometimes people hear that and they see that,

well, because you've been nominated for this or that,

that now you only--

You've always got to show up. Yeah.

[Keke] No, that's not the way it is.

It's what moves you, what you're interested in.

And sometimes, it's voiceover, or animation,

or documentaries, and you just keep working.

I think it's so deeply subconscious.

It's like, I wanna really remove all of that

and really be able to craft this new mindset persona

and be stuck in that space.

And then it kind of sometimes can take a second

to shake it off too, when I'm done with the project.

Yeah. Isn't that crazy?

Same. Same.

Yes.

Same.

I mean, I laughed and shook my head like Tina

for like, I think about three or four months.

[Keke laughing]

I'm on the floor.

That's hilarious because I--

I know exactly.

That really happens to us.

You know, you just feel so bad for the people

that's close to us.

'Cause they done seen us, like,

really go through some things.

But that has me cackling because that's happened to me too.

I played a pimp once and honey, I was,

I've been pimping for the last three years.

Literally.

You really held onto that one.

I would love...

So, have you ever seen this movie called Heartbreakers?

No.

It's an old movie with Sigourney Weaver

and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Oh, I worked with Jennifer.

Oh my gosh. Love both of them.

I've never worked with any of them but I love them both.

Lovely.

And in this movie, they're a mother and daughter duo

and they are secretly, like, scamming a bunch of men.

It's essentially like a romantic comedy

slash, just like action comedy

about this mother and daughter duo.

And I would love for us to redo a version of this movie.

I think it would be so the bomb.

So heisty.

[Keke] Honey.

We're both, like, just hot and we're like, yeah,

mother and daughter duo.

Oh, I taught you everything you know.

You taught me everything I know.

But then you upped the game 'cause you know,

you're so digital and stuff, you know.

[both laughing]

I just think we would kill something like that.

I think we would.

Literally, I'm like, that needs to be me and her.

Period, hands down. So that's my movie idea.

And then of course you're, you know,

you can't be contained.

And I constantly try to do that.

[Keke] Come on.

That's, you know.

And then maybe then you, then it flipped

and then I become more like you, you know,

when the necessary moment comes.

Exactly.

What I need is more of this.

You've read too many scripts. That's the other thing.

When you've read as many scripts as us,

it's like we could just sit down

and write it our dang selves.

'Cause that was the whole storyline right there.

I love you.

I love you.

Thank you.

[gentle music]