KeKe Palmer talks new movie 'Abducted': 'Some people want me to remain little Akeelah'

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KeKe Palmer is taking on a serious role in her new Lifetime movie, Abducted: The Carlina White Story, which also stars Sherri Shepherd. The film is based on the remarkable true story of the kidnapping of Carlina White, played by Palmer, who was abducted as an infant by Ann Pettway from a New York hospital, solved her own kidnapping and reunited with her biological parents 23 years later.

In an interview with theGrio the 19-year-old actress/singer talked about her new film and how she has been able to transition from child star to more adult roles.

“You see some people want me to remain little Akeelah or people that see my videos they think that maybe I’m a little bit too sexy,” Palmer said. “Then you see people that say ‘you know I love seeing KeKe Palmer grow at this pace or I love KeKe’s acting image.’ When you’ve been on TV as long as I have, you have people that wanna keep you that child.”

This weekend in New York City, KeKe Palmer will join 250 members of Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., Boy & Girls Clubs of America and The Young Women’s Leadership schools as they march with their moms and mentors for the third annual Dove Self-Esteem Weekend.

“I started partnering up with Dove on their self-esteem weekend, pretty much because they’re representing everything I’m representing with this [film]. I’m always about helping young girls have good esteem and just inner beauty more so than outer beauty because when you do feel good on the inside, I’ve learned myself it shines on the outside.”

Abducted: The Carlina White Story premieres tonight on Lifetime at 8 EST.

Follow Chris Witherspoon on Twitter at @WitherspoonC