Keke Palmer praises actor who inspired 'The Burbs' role

Keke Palmer is balancing inspiration and originality in her take on The Burbs.

Palmer stars and executive produces Peacock's new dark comedy series. The Burbs is based on the 1989 film of the same name which starred Tom Hanks in the lead role.

"I was not familiar with that film in particular, no, but obviously became very familiar after the show," she told People.

"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," Palmer continued. "And so I think more than anything, that's what I wanted to make sure that I captured."

The Good Fortune star is "always thinking about that" in any role she takes on: "Being sincere, finding unique ways to embody this person and hopefully finding moments of levity."

"Because I think that's true to life," she explained, "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."

Alongside Keke Palmer, The Burbs also stars Jack Whitehall, Justin Kirk, Paula Pell, Julia Duffy, Kapil Talwalkar, Mark Proksch and more.