Keke Palmer is putting her spin on an 80s classic with The ‘Burbs reboot.
Taking pieces from Tom Hanks‘ performance, and prioritizing themes of motherhood and community, learn all there is to know about the new Peacock series.
Taking Inspiration from Tom Hanks
When Keke Palmer first got the job, she wasn’t super familiar with the Tom Hanks 1989 film of the same name.
In her interview with People, she said, “I was not familiar with that film in particular, no, but obviously became very familiar after the show.”
Focusing on Hanks and his performance, Palmer continued, “I’m somebody that looked up to Tom Hanks always as an entertainer because he has a great quality of being funny and doing unique character work, but then also feeling entirely sincere. And so I think more than anything, that’s what I wanted to make sure that I captured.”
Thinking about that balance between comedic and sincerity, Palmer says it’s something always on her mind: “Being sincere, finding unique ways to embody this person and hopefully finding moments of levity.”
Keke Palmer finishes her statement by saying, “Because I think that’s true to life. Everything is not always so dramatic, you know what I mean? And so that was me trying to make sure that we maintained at least the vibe and the tone where it feels warm, you feel safe enough to lean in, but then also interested enough to step back.”
Highlighting Motherhood and Community
Honoring Hanks’ original performance is not the only thing Palmer wanted to achieve in her role in The ‘Burbs.
“I’m not trying to be Tom Hanks, and we’re not trying to make that movie, but we do want to pay homage and kind of open it up to a different audience.”
One of the themes she brings up in her performance is motherhood. As a single working mother herself, Keke Palmer easily drew parallels to her character, Samira, who is a devoted mother navigating maternity leave.
“It was just about being truthful to the fact of what happens after you have a baby, where everything becomes so heightened, so not underwriting the reality that what Samira is picking up on is correct, but the way in which she’s going about it, and how that lends itself for us to make commentary on postpartum, I think was big, because a lot of people think that postpartum is this thing that’s obvious to the person that’s enduring it, and it’s not,” she said.
“It’s like readjusting your mind to the idea that you have something significant outside your body, and then everything becomes an emergency. So watching her deal with what that looks like was very cathartic for me to play because it humanized that experience,” Keke Palmer explained in a Forbes interview.
In addition to motherhood, Plamer wanted to touch upon the importance of community.
“I took from this series that community is everything, and you can find community in the strangest of places, so just be open. I think Samira has ideas coming into this town, and people have ideas about her coming into this town, but they find themselves on common ground: we actually all need each other, and we should be looking out for each other,” she commented.
Navigating through the heaviness with community is one of the main themes of the show, helping the characters face obstacles head-on and having the ability to lean on each other when things get tough.
What You Need to Know About The ‘Burbs
The ‘Burbs is a reimaging of the 1989 cult comedy with Tom Hanks.
The series is a Peacock original, which means you’ll need a Peacock subscription to watch. The entire 8-episode season dropped on February 8th, so you can enjoy the entire first season right now.
The official logline of the series is as follows:
“A young couple moves back to the husband’s childhood home, only to face threats from new neighbors and uncover dark secrets of their cul-de-sac.”
Other than Keke Palmer, the cast includes Jack Whitehall, Julia Duffy, Paula Pell, Mark Proksch, and Kapil Talwalkar. You may even recognize cast members from the 1989 film who appear as cameos.
Watch the Trailer Here
