Keke Palmer had one of the wildest full-circle Hollywood moments ever, going from starstruck dinner guest in Eddie Murphy’s house to starring alongside him in The Pickup.
Long before the two shared screen time in the Prime Video comedy heist film, Palmer was just a teen hanging out with Murphy’s daughters. Now 31, she looks back at that surreal memory like it just happened yesterday.
The first time she met Eddie Murphy? Total movie moment. Palmer was 19 or 20 and had been invited by his daughters, her close friends, for dinner at their dad’s place. Naturally, she forgot for a moment that their dad was, well, Eddie freaking Murphy. She walked into his home thinking it was just dinner… then out came Murphy himself, casually walking downstairs in pajamas, strumming a guitar like the coolest dad ever. Palmer couldn’t believe it. “It was the sickest thing,” she recalls. “He was just vibing, and I thought, ‘Damn, he really is about that life.’”
Fast forward over a decade, and now Palmer isn’t just hanging out in Murphy’s house, she’s acting alongside him. The Pickup marks her first professional project with Murphy, and the dream became even more real once they got on set together. But even with the casual, cozy memories from the past, Palmer said she kept things professional. “I wanted to enjoy the moment, but also make sure I wasn’t messing around,” she said.
And honestly, she wasn’t alone in feeling the weight of the moment. When Eddie Murphy walks onto a set, everything shifts. According to Palmer, “everybody gets serious” the second he’s around. “You just don’t want to do any bullsh*t,” she laughed. “He’s only going to be on set with professionals, so you better act like it.”
But the pressure came with purpose. Working with a legend like Murphy wasn’t just about surviving the shoot, it was about growing. Palmer said she learned a key lesson from him that stuck with her: don’t try to be funny, just be real. “Eddie never tries to be funny,” she said. “He’s always just being honest in a situation that’s insane.” That approach hit differently when she saw it in action.
Palmer credits her mom, her first acting teacher, for telling her the same thing growing up, but watching Murphy do it on set made it click on another level. And it helped her prep for her next big project, One of Them Days, where she takes that lesson with her.
Despite all the nerves and nostalgia, Palmer said that working with Eddie Murphy truly lived up to the hype. The screen legend, who plays Russell in The Pickup, stars opposite Palmer’s character Zoe, who hijacks a security vehicle in a casino robbery scheme. Pete Davidson rounds out the cast as Travis, making the whole thing feel like a high-stakes comedy fever dream.
And while most people say “don’t meet your heroes,” Palmer is living proof that sometimes it turns out even better than expected.
The Pickup is streaming now on Prime Video, and for Palmer, it’s more than just a movie. It’s the payoff to a wild Hollywood journey that started in pajamas, with a guitar, and one of the biggest stars in the world just being a dad.
Jamie Wells has a knack for getting the inside scoop on Hollywood’s biggest stars and up-and-coming talent. With a sharp eye for industry trends and an ear for viral moments, Jamie covers everything from red-carpet events to behind-the-scenes drama in movies, TV, and celebrity culture.
