Next month, Keke Palmer will be the first African-American to play Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella on Broadway.
"It's honestly one of those things that I can't believe is really happening," Palmer told the AP by phone. "I'm very excited. Very excited and nervous, as well -- a bunch of feelings all at once."
Palmer will be showcasing her film and music skills in the Disney play eight times a week, starting Sept. 9.
Her film experience includes roles in "Barbershop 2: Back in Business" and "Akeelah and the Bee," her BET talk show, "Just Keke" and TV in Showtime's "Masters of Sex." She also played Chili in "CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story" and starred in Nickelodeon's "True Jackson, VP." Palmer appeared opposite Cicely Tyson and Vanessa Williams in Lifetime's "A Trip to Bountiful," which was nominated for an Emmy Award.
She also has released two albums, "So Uncool" in 2007 and a self-titled EP in 2012.
Palmer comes from a family of theater-enthusiasts, as both of her parents (Sharon and Larry Palmer) have worked as professional actors.
"Theater offers so much more that I haven't been able to access doing film and TV and everything like that," Palmer told the AP. "I'm very excited to learn all that it has to offer -- that focus and that dedication to perform at a certain level every night."
Although Palmer isn't into celebrating, as she told E!, she is excited to be the first African American to play the part.
She follows in the footsteps of her childhood heroine, Brandy Norwood, who played Cinderella in a 1997 TV movie opposite Whitney Houston.
On Broadway, Palmer will be starring opposite "The View's" Sherri Shepherd, who will play the wicked stepmother.
"I feel like the reason I'm able to do this is definitely because Brandy did it on TV," Palmer told AP.
Last year, the producers of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella were honored by Actors Equity for excellence in diversity on Broadway.
"We've always just cast the best people for the parts. Sometimes they're African-American, sometimes they're Latino, sometimes Asian-American," Tony Award-winning producer Robyn Goodman, told AP. "It's wonderful when it works out and we've finally found our Cinderella."
