Keke Palmer applies William H. Macy's acting advice to her life

Keke Palmer has always remembered a piece of advice William H. Macy gave her as a child star.

In one of her earliest child actress roles, the Nope star acted opposite Macy in the 2004 TV movie The Wool Cap, and he offered her a piece of advice to encourage her to focus on the present scene rather than worry about the bigger picture.

"He said, 'You don't need to think about the whole movie - you've got to take it just one scene at a time,'" she recalled in an interview with The Independent.

While the Shameless actor was simply talking about acting, Palmer, now 31, tries to apply the sentiment to her life too.

"When I'm overwhelmed or worried about what I'm going to do, I just focus on what's in front of me, do it to the best of my ability, and then move on from there," she stated.

In the 20 years since since The Wool Cap, Palmer has starred in films such as Akeelah and the Bee, Madea's Family Reunion and Hustlers and the TV shows True Jackson, VP and Scream Queens.

She spent almost five years developing her latest film One of Them Days, which she executive produced and starred in alongside singer SZA. Palmer is thrilled that the buddy comedy has been a success at the box office since its U.S. release in January.

"It's significant that the movie has made its budget back, and that people enjoyed it and loved it, because that's going to allow more things like this to be made," she gushed. "And it's significant that we now have proof that people want to see films like this."