Keke Palmer is opening up about her child star past and her once-dire financial straits.

The Nope actor became her familys breadwinner while still a young girl. And though that Hollywood gambit ultimately paid off , Palmer recently revealed shed declared bankruptcy at 18 years of age.

I was so spooked, she admitted at the Building Wealth Today for Tomorrow financial literacy event in Chicago, per Afrotech . I was like, What went wrong?

Palmer was only 10 years old when she landed her first part in Barbershop 2: Back in Business , and went on to nab lead roles in major projects including Akeelah and the Bee (2006) and Nickelodeons True Jackson, VP (2008-2011). But that came at a cost.

Due to my traveling and scheduling both of my parents had to stop working to support my career and be present for my three siblings, leaving me with the financial responsibility around age 12, she wrote last year on Instagram . The actor said she took great pride in that, but the responsibility of becoming a parentalized child who paid the bills also forced her to abandon her youth.

Now 31 and with a child of her own , Palmer says she lives well under her means.