Call it Punky Posse.
Frank Sinatra had his Rat Pack. Rob Lowe had his Brat Pack. And, as a new documentary reveals, 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 opens on Friday at Hulu, tells his story of a child superstar to a failed teenager and mother of four 44-year-old children.
What sets this documentary apart is its mind-boggling original footage.
As a teenage girl growing up in Los Angeles, Frye started carrying a video camera with her wherever she went – really, wherever. She recorded drunken fights with friends, wild parties, dinners and boring car rides. She also claims to have saved almost all of the messages on the answering machine she has already received.
The mountain of images was hidden in a closet for about 20 years.
Now, Frye has decided to “unlock the safe”.
The involuntary co-stars of this shoot are his luminous group of friends at the time, a star cast of teenage Hollywood actors from the 80s and 90s, including Leonardo DiCaprio (one of the film’s executive producers), Mark-Paul Gosselaar of “Salvo by the Bell ”and Balthazar Getty from“ Lord of the Flies ”.
“We did the things that teenagers did,” says Frye in the film. “It turns out that we were in Hollywood.”
At the age of 18, Frye left LA and went to New York, where he enrolled at the New School and immediately met a new group of celebrities – the skateboarders who starred in Larry Clark’s 1995 film “Kids”.
Below, a look at the main members of Punky Posse.
Brian Austin Green
“There were about 12 kids in the business, so we all knew everyone,” says ex-child star Green, now 47, in the film. Green can be seen enjoying himself on a trip to SeaWorld with Frye, as well as these days, discussing what he says is the lowest point of his global fame: the release of his poorly received 1996 hip-hop album.
Where is him now: After roles in “Beverly Hills, 90210” and a marriage to Megan Fox, Green is now a panelist on “The Masked Dancer”.
Charlie Sheen
Frye says she lost her virginity to Sheen when she was 18. After she moved to New York, he became her “Mr. Great ”, taking her to exclusive events, such as the opening day at Yankee Stadium.
Where is him now: Sheen takes on occasional roles in movies and on TV and is still drinking tiger blood.
Danny Boy
Frye dated the House of Pain rapper, born Daniel O’Connor, at the height of his popularity in “Jump Around”, and he can be seen in the movie drinking, smoking and driving expensive cars.
Where is him now: Frye reconnects with a more relaxed O’Connor at his Oklahoma home. He continues to work in the music industry.
Jenny Lewis
“I just hope he doesn’t find my gun,” says the actor from “Growing Pains” and “Baywatch” when she and Frye are stopped by a police officer. “Do you have anything with you?” Frye asks. “Drugs?” Lewis asks. “I also have some of those.”
Where is she now: She is a founding member of the rock band Rilo Kiley and is a successful solo musician.
David Arquette
“It got dark,” says Arquette in the film for her teen party, which included smoking heroin.
Where is him now: After his debut on the 1990 TV series “The Outsiders”, the actor starred in the “Scream” series and continues to appear in cinema and on TV.
Jonathan Brandis
The actor, perhaps best known for his role in 1993’s “SeaQuest DSV”, became a teen heartthrob. Frye says that revisiting the old footage made her realize how blind she was that many of her friends were suffering “and needed to be heard”. In a message on the answering machine, Brandis says woefully: “If I could come on vacation, it would be a pleasure.”
Where is him now: Like several friends of Frye’s from his youth, he is no longer around. Brandis died of suicide in 2003 at the age of 27.
Sara Gilbert
Frye stayed close to the “Roseanne” star when they were both children, and the two are still close. “Why do you have so many hours of boring VCR?”, She snarls at Frye while washing her hands in the bathroom.
Where is she now: She currently stars in the “Roseanne” spin-off, “The Conners”, and created the daytime show “The Talk”.
Kevin Connolly
The future “Entourage” star can be seen in the film using a high-end car phone to call “Mike and Leo” before he and the group leave for Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Where is him now: He directed “Gotti”, from 2018, one of the few films to receive 0 percent approval on Rotten Tomatoes.