Posted on Mar 4, 2025Subscribe to Screen Time NewsletterCaret DownBrenda Song Talks Growing Up In The "Safe Environment" Of The "Suite Life" Set And Her New Netflix Series With Kate Hudson"So, any place where you can inspire a little bit of hope and change is monumental."by Nora DominickBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLink If you grew up watching Disney Channel in the 2000s, then chances are you were obsessed with at least one Brenda Song character. Whether it's her iconic portrayal of London Tipton in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody or one of her many DCOMs like Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior or Stuck in the Suburbs, Brenda was a staple on Disney for so many people.
In recent years, she's continued to appear in comedy series like New Girl and Dollface, and this year, she starred in The Last Showgirl alongside Pamela Anderson. Brenda's talents have been beloved across generations, and now she's back in a brand-new Netflix comedy series from Mindy Kaling called Running Point, where she plays Kate Hudson's BFF.
So to celebrate Running Point, Brenda sat down with BuzzFeed to not only discuss this brand-new role - and how being in a comedy series about basketball felt tailor-made for her - but also look back at her memorable run on Disney Channel and how she helped pave the way for representation.
Here's everything we chatted about: Disney Channel / Netflix / BuzzFeed There are spoilers ahead for Netflix's Running Point! THEN: Have you ever taken anything from a set after filming wrapped? If so, what have you taken? I am such a rule follower. I actually don't take a lot from set. But I will say the things that I did take from the set; I actually took a couple of things from Suite Life because, obviously, I grew up on that show. So the funny thing people probably laugh at is from The Suite Life of Zack & Cody - in London Tipton's suite - I have the life-size painting of London and Ivana, her dog. I took that home. So I have that huge portrait in our house. I know people are like, "Are you gonna hang it in your house?" I was like, "Of course not," but I have it, and it means so much to me.
And I took my suite number, like, door plate. I took that. So those are probably my favorites, just because they mean a lot. Disney Channel NOW: How did you first get involved in Netflix's Running Point? And how was it working with Mindy Kaling? I met with Mindy, Ike Barinholtz, and Dave Stassen, who are Mindy's co-creators and the showrunners of the show. We did a Zoom meeting a couple of months before we started filming, and I didn't really know much about the show. It was like an "Untitled Mindy Basketball Project." I was like, first of all, basketball, which I'm a huge Lakers fan, huge basketball fan. And Mindy Kaling. I was already like, Yes. Like, should I say yes before - wait, do they really want me?!And within five minutes of sitting down in this Zoom with them, I was just like, I want to work with them. They are such incredible collaborators. They're so brilliant, so funny. And when I read this script, it was such a no-brainer. To be honest, I was like, Are you guys sure you want me to be a part of this project? Because this is such a dream project for me.
And it's such a stellar ensemble cast, too.
Being able to work with this cast is incredible. Walking on set every day was such a privilege to be working with people that I just love, like working with, like, Justin Theroux, who is such an incredible actor and incredible writer, who just really challenges you on a different level. Also, Drew Tarver and Scotty MacArthur, who have big backgrounds in improv and stand up, and it's so much fun. They just kept us on our toes. I never knew what was gonna come out of their mouths. Working in an environment where you felt really safe to play and to have fun. And, you know, Dave and Ike really gave us that creative freedom to really explore our characters and to just take it to the next level. They're like, "We'll pull you back if you need to, but just go for it." It's more rare than you think it is to be in a safe environment like that. Katrina Marcinowski / Netflix / Everett Collection THEN: Obviously, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody has remained such a big part of your life, and London is a role people love. Looking back, do you think you realized how big being an Asian American lead was on Disney at the time? Honestly, I say this all the time, I think being so young, you don't think about it. I mean, you wake up, you get to go do that thing that you dreamed of doing your entire life, and you get to make a show at 16; like, who gets to do that? And so, for me personally, I never thought about that. I don't think people really appreciate how ahead of the curve Disney was at sort of colorblind casting and allowing very young actors to tell their stories and allow them to be authentically themselves. I think people forget that and don't give them enough credit for allowing kids of all shapes, colors, sizes, backgrounds, and all these thing