“A lot of it was us figuring things out through improv”: Keyla Monterroso Mejia on One of Them Days
Lawrence Lamont’s One of Them Days is a sharp, sunlit buddy comedy that captures the chaos, contradictions and community of Baldwin Village with clear-eyed affection. Keke Palmer and SZA star as Dreux and Alyssa, best friends whose bond is tested during a frantic daylong mission to come up with rent money, whether by seeking a predatory loan or selling their blood plasma. The film moves quickly, driven more by momentum than plot, as the duo hurtles through a series of unpredictable situations.
Ahead of the film’s UK home release, Mejia, who plays Kathy, the deadpan loan officer caught in a dramatic confrontation with Dreux and Alyssa, spoke with The Upcoming, revealing that she prepared for the role by listening to Ice Cube and Doechii, how she, alongside Palmer and SZA, used improvisation to bring one of the film’s standout scenes to life, and the impact of its box-office success on similar narratives in the industry.
Hi Keyla, it’s so lovely to speak with you today. To start things off, could you tell us a bit about Kathy, your character in One of Them Days?
KMM: I love her – Kathy is iconic. I’m just kidding. Kathy was really, really, really fun to play. It was sort of my first time doing something where I had a suit jacket kind of thing going on – like a little cardigan. Very nine-to-five office, in a cubicle, which I loved. That was super fun. But also, I think the energy I got to explore with Kathy was different and really fun in a way the other characters haven’t been. The characters I’ve played in the past aren’t good at their jobs, or aren’t good at what they’re doing. And Kathy was fun to play because Kathy is good at her job. Kathy knows what she’s doing. Kathy is in charge – she’s doing it well. So that was really fun. I loved that character for that reason. It was really cool to feel like I know best – and actually be right. I did know best, you know?
And how did you prepare for this role?
KMM: To be honest, it was more mental preparation, in the sense that I knew I was going to be in a scene with Keke Palmer and SZA, so it was a lot of hyping myself up, like, “It’s okay. You’ve got this. It’s fine, don’t be nervous.” Because for me, more so than the script, it was like, these are two icons – don’t get nervous. Don’t mess up your lines. Be able to go with the flow. Be cool. So there was a pump-up playlist, and a lot of “You’ve got this, it’s going to be fun.” It was a lot of that kind of preparation.
Could you tell us a few tracks from your “pump-up playlist”?
KMM: I was talking about this the other day – It Was a Good Day by Ice Cube really puts me in the light. Like, “Yeah, we’ve got it. We got the bad guys.” You know? And then probably anything from Doechii was like, “Yeah, yeah, let’s go, let’s go.”
Speaking of Ice Cube, this film draws some inspiration from Friday (1995) – was that a movie you connected with growing up?
KMM: Yes, it was crazy. I give a lot of credit to my cousins…for my sense of humour, maybe, or the kind of comedy that I enjoy. I was young when I watched those movies – really, now looking back, I probably shouldn’t have at that age, but it was what my cool older cousins were watching. And so I was like, “Oh, I want to watch too.” I remember watching them with my brother and my cousins and having all the DVDs – back when that was still a thing. So it was a really beautiful moment to get to be part of something like this, because it brought me back to my childhood. And it’s funny, one of the people we were introduced to at that time was Katt Williams, and I could not believe when I saw he was going to be in it. I was like, “Oh my God.” I was so nervous I couldn’t even say hi to him. I must have been so creepy, but I literally couldn’t say, “Hi, nice to meet you.” I was too nervous. But it was such a cool thing to connect to.
As a Los Angeles native, how do you feel about the way Baldwin Village is portrayed in the film?
KMM: You know what? It’s funny because I sort of grew up on the outskirts of LA, right? But I think being in the general area, there’s an essence you can’t really fake. It’s like – either you know about it, you feel it, you have it. And I feel like this film perfectly captured that in a way where I was like, “This is authentic. This is wild.” Like, this is really what it is, in some sense. You know, it’s a comedy, but in terms of these characters and how they live in this world – truly, to me, I felt like, “Dude, these are some of my friends.” Like, yeah, that’s my girl. I know him. I’ve seen her. I know a girl like her. And it felt like this movie had so many characters like that – characters I just knew.
What are your thoughts on how One of Them Days addresses the issue of gentrification?
KMM: I think it does a really good job. It is hot; it’s expensive out here – it’s wild. It’s so expensive. And I think it’s great that you also get to see these people struggling, in a sense. Even at the loan office – I know the loan Kathy is giving out is definitely not good, I see that – but I think it also represents a real need. People can’t afford it, you know what I mean? And so sometimes you turn to these places that are kind of predatory – like the loan office – but it’s out of real need, which I think speaks to the greater problem of gentrification. It’s not feasible to live in this area, and it’s a huge problem. The way people have to make ends meet – because it’s truly an unlivable economy in some ways – is insane. So it’s a good reflection of that.
What was your favourite scene to film, and what made it stand out for you?
KMM: I think the first one would obviously be when I was at the loan office. The first time you step on set is always really fun in a new way, like, “Oh, this is a new adventure.” But truly, that scene – I’m so proud of it. I’m super grateful for how people have received it. It’s been really crazy. I never in my life thought people would respond to it that much. But I remember just having so much fun. Being able to improv with Keke Palmer and SZA is wild. And it was interesting, because I never want to go in and throw someone off if they’re not comfortable with improv – some people are, some people aren’t. So I usually stick to the script and try to do it well. But it’s so much fun when they come in and open that door. And I think that’s what happened. Keke and SZA were incredible and just jumped in, which then made me feel comfortable to start going too. It was like this popcorn, cat-and-mouse game of ideas that were fresh – things that weren’t on the page that we found as we went. So it was such a good time.
Could you walk us through your process of improvising that scene?
KMM: It was crazy, to be honest. Everything was scripted, so I was doing my lines, and then we got to these moments towards the end, and Keke started improvising. She just kept riffing and going, and I was like, “Oh my God” In my brain, I was freaking out – I was nervous. But then we just started ping-ponging, and we found it that way. So we cut, and the next time we did the scene, I knew what to expect. I was like, “Okay, now we can really play.” We tried it a couple of times to find moments that worked, but a lot of it was us figuring things out through improv. Once we found a joke or a beat that worked, we kept it going, and the scene sort of built itself. It was really fun – and unexpected. There’s also some really funny physical comedy at the end – like when she told him, “We beg,” and all that stuff. It was really fun at the moment, trying different things and not knowing what to expect. At one point, SZA took so many of my things off the desk, and it was really hard to keep a straight face, so I’d just politely look down because I wanted to laugh so badly. It was such a good time figuring that scene out. It was beautiful; I had an amazing time.
Lastly, what do you hope audiences take away from One of Them Days, and what kind of conversations do you hope it sparks?
KMM: I think, specifically, where we are in this business – how real stories with great comedy and female leads, people want to see that – it’s great. And I think this is a perfect film to represent that. Sometimes you might go in and say, “Well, we don’t know. I don’t know if there’s an audience for something like this.” But I think this movie started the conversation like – yes, there is. Look – they did it. It works. People love it. It’s real and genuine, and it’s truly funny. I feel so lucky to be part of something that I really feel is going to be a vehicle to push more authentic stories forward – which is freaking incredible, you know?
Christina Yang
One of Them Days is released for home viewing physically and digitally on 6th May 2025.
Watch the trailer for One of Them Days here:
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