Soleil Moon Frye: Eco-Sins & Eco-Heroes
Photos: Meeno. Part Five of Five.
Last week, Soleil Moon Frye shared her secrets for creating a sustainable holiday. This week, she reveals her eco-heroes—and eco-sins—as well as how she feels about still being recognized as “Punky Brewster,” 20 years later.
Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff: Do you exclusively use natural beauty products?
Soleil Moon Frye: To be honest I have a lot of amazingly natural products, but I’m in no way perfect.
RLS: I’m going to have to weed through your beauty bag, that’s what you’re telling me!
SMF: I’m pretty good. Literally my extent of getting makeup on is once every few months.
RLS: So what are some of your favorites?
SMF: I like just the old-fashioned lip balms that my mom used, from Whole Foods. Everything’s basically from that one little aisle. But by no means am I perfect.
RLS: I love that now Whole Foods has their standards so you can really just buy indiscriminately, shop without looking at labels.
SMF: Yes, I live there now!
RLS: What’s your worst eco-sin?
SMF: Actually, I thought it was last week. Because I was going away, I wanted to get a spray tan. But I found an organic company, Chocolate Sun! I thought that I was doing this horrible thing—oh my god, nobody will ever forgive me—but it turned out that I could find an organic company. So even my worst sin turned out to be probably healthier than sitting in the sun.
RLS: Cool! Who’s your eco-hero and why?
SMF: I love Ed. Can I just have a little Begley?
RLS: A Begley Godfather.
SMF: Totally. And he is really one of those people who lives and breathes it. The whole group that I work with at EMA—Paul Haggis is just amazing. Such an environmental hero to me but also a humanitarian. The people that really live it. I love what my peers are doing to create change. Al Gore, what he’s done. Anyone that really raises awareness. But I feel like I have more heroes who are humanitarian, like what Sean Penn is doing in Haiti. I think everyone is doing his or her part. So it’s very inspiring.
RLS: You’re with a good group, with EMA, for sure. What’s the biggest green change you’d like to make in your life—even if it’s impossible right now?
SMF: I’d like to do solar. But our roof is not equipped to do it so I’ve been trying to figure out how to do it. Our roof is one of those Spanish roofs so it can’t lay flat. I have to figure out a way around that. And I really want to do a road trip with my family so if I can find an eco RV that would be great.
RLS: Well the Weleda bus is going into retirement, you could put in some curtains and take this!
SMF: Yeah, right!
RLS: You’ve done tons of television—from “Friends” to “Sabrina”—and have directed two movies, “Wild Horses” and the documentary “Sonny Boy.” Yet fans my age still associate you with “Punky Brewster,” the show you starred in when you were eight. Do you still get that?
SMF: I love that! My character has been such a huge part of my heart and soul. She’s been such an inspiration to me every day. I love that. I love the character. She’s such a big part of me and I’m such a big part of her. I hold her very close.
RLS: I love that she’s such a person to you. Have your kids seen the show?
SMF: My husband’s shown them little clips on YouTube.
RLS: So cute! What’s next for you?
SMF: Working on the amazing Little Seed designs. I have a show called “Planet Sheen” which is on Nickelodeon; it’s a spin-off of “Jimmy Neutron.” Then the book, which is coming out from Dutton/Penguin next year. And then I’m in development on a show.
RLS: Fantastic! So is the show about green?
SMF: I’ll always find a way to make it be.
Want more? Read how Soleil plans a sustainable holiday, check out photos of her with friends Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, read up on how Soleil became an eco-activist, and her work for Weleda on behalf of the Safe Cosmetics Act.
