Call it Punky Posse.
Frank Sinatra had his Rat Pack. Rob Lowe had his Brat Pack. And as revealed by a new documentary, child actor Soleil Moon Frye, star of the 1980s sitcom “Punky Brewster” – once had his own exclusive group of showbiz friends.
“Kid 90,” which is directed by Frye and premieres Friday on Hulu, tells its story from the child superstar to a washed-out teenager to a 44-year-old mother of four.
What sets this documentary apart is its impressive original material.
As a teenager in Los Angeles, Frye began taking a video camera with her wherever he went, really. wherever. He recorded drunken fights with friends, wild parties, dinners and boring cars. He also claims to have saved almost every message from the answering machine he has received.
The mountain of images has been hidden in a storage closet for about 20 years.
Now, Frye has decided to “unlock the vault.”
The protagonists of this film are his bright group of friends of the time, a cast of Hollywood teen actors from the 80s and 90s, including Leonardo DiCaprio (one of the executive producers of the film ), Mark-Paul Gosselaar from “Saved by the Bell” and Balthazar Getty from “Lord of the Flies.”
“We did the things the teens did,” Frye says in the film. “We just got to Hollywood.”
At 18, Frye left Los Angeles for New York, where he enrolled in New School and immediately entered with a new group of celebrities: the skaters who star in Larry Clark’s 1995 film “Kids “.
Then a look at the main members of Punky Posse.
Brian Austin Green
“There were like 12 kids in the business, so we all knew everyone,” the 47-year-old former child star Green says in the film. Green can be seen shooting on a trip to SeaWorld with Frye as well as today, discussing what he says was the lowest point of his world fame: the release of his ill-received 1996 hip-hop album .
Where is it now: After roles in “Beverly Hills, 90210” and a marriage to Megan Fox, Green is now a member of the group “The Masked Dancer.”
Charlie Sheen
Frye says she lost her virginity to Sheen when she was 18 years old. After moving to New York, she became his “Mr. Big,” which grants her exclusive events, such as the opening day at Yankee Stadium.
Where is it now: Sheen takes occasional roles in movies and television and still drinks tiger blood.
Danny Boy
Frye went out with House of Pain rapper, born Daniel O’Connor, at the height of his “Jump Around” popularity, and can be seen in the film drinking, smoking and driving expensive cars.
Where is it now: Frye reconnects with a more relaxed O’Connor at his home in Oklahoma. He continues to work in the music industry.
Jenny Lewis
“I just hope she doesn’t find my gun,” the “Growing Pains” and “Baywatch” actor crack when she and Frye are dragged by a cop. “Do you have anything on you?” Frye asks. “Drugs?” Lewis asks. “I have some, too.”
Where is it now: He is a founding member of the rock band Rilo Kiley and is a successful solo musician.
David Arquette
“It got dark,” Arquette says in her teen party movie, which included smoking heroin.
Where is it now: After his debut on the 1990 television series “The Outsiders”, the actor starred in the series “Scream” and continues to appear in film and television.
Jonathan Brandis
The actor, perhaps best known for his role in 1993’s “SeaQuest DSV,” became a teenager. Frye says revisiting the old images made him realize how blind he was that many of his friends were hurting “and needed to be heard.” In an answering machine message, Brandis says complaining, “If I could come on vacation, it would be a pleasure for me.”
Where is it now: Like several of Frye’s friends since his youth, he is no longer there. Brandis committed suicide in 2003 at the age of 27.
Sara Gilbert
Frye fit in with the “Roseanne” star when they were both kids, and the two stay close. “Why do you have so many hours of boring videotape,” he snares at Frye as he washes his hands in the bathroom.
Where is it now: He currently stars in the spin-off of “Roseanne,” “The Conners,” and created the daytime show “The Talk.”
Kevin Connolly
The upcoming “Entourage” star can be seen in the film with a cutting-edge car phone to call “Mike and Leo” before he and the group get to spend a day at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Where is it now: He directed “Gotti” of 2018, one of the few films to have received 0 percent approval on Rotten Tomatoes.