"Punky Brewster" star Soleil Moon Frye is opening up about what it was like to work on the set of the NBC sitcom. The 44-year-old actress famously played Penelope "Punky" Brewster in the hit 1980s series and will be reprising her role in a reboot on NBC's streaming service, Peacock. Frye spoke about the upcoming show while revisiting fond memories of filming during an interview with Fox News.
"We had so much fun and always played make-believe. [The kids on set] were on pogo sticks and scooters and running wild having so much fun," she said.
"The fact that the team on 'Punky' really allowed us to still be kids and made sure that we had that time to be children ... we weren't just going to set and working every day," Frye continued. "We were playing make-believe and I think that was so important. And so in doing the reboot, to be able to see these amazing kids still being kids was so inspiring."
In a UPI interview, Frye said "Punky Brewster" held significant meaning to the cast
"For so many of us, 'Punky' was so much more than a show," she said. "It was really a way of life."
The reboot, Frye told Fox News, has "really tried to stay true to the authenticity of the original and to share stories that are important." In the series, older Punky is a single mom of three who is navigating a split with her ex. Frye said she hoped the character could spark important conversations within families.
"So many of the things that Punky is going through [others can relate to]," she explained. "We're talking about the real things that are going on in our house," Frye added. "So hopefully other people will feel the same."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.