Kyla Pratt continues to be a multigenerational force in entertainment, and her legacy as the voice of Penny Proud is only growing stronger. 

“The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” is returning for its third season on Disney+ and a fourth season has reportedly been greenlit ahead of its premiere, according to Variety. 

The beloved animated series is proving its staying power in today’s ever-evolving TV landscape. Pratt brings heart, humor, and authenticity to the role, once again guiding Penny through teenagehood with lessons that land just as powerfully for new viewers as they do for longtime fans who grew up with the original show.

The series continues to resonate with new audiences, while also speaking to longtime fans who once related to Penny as kids and now share the show with their own children.

“I didn't realize that filming ‘The Proud Family' when I was so young, that Penny is so much of me,” Pratt told BET.com. 

“Penny helped me develop into the person that I am and watching my kids now and the things that they do. They're better, mini versions of myself. I see a lot of Penny in my girls. I love watching them grow at different stages in their lives and different situations and times.”

That sense of familiarity doesn’t stop with Penny. When asked about Trudy Proud, the family’s loving and level-headed matriarch, the actress doesn’t hesitate to draw a connection. 

“I see a lot of Trudy in myself. I think that Trudy is a mom who just loves her kids and tries to stay calm and balance everything. I also see a little bit of every family member in me. I'm a little bit of Uncle Bobby and a bit of Oscar, too. I just feel like it's beautiful to watch all of them evolve and grow. What I love is that our writers and creators have always been able to stay true to the times of what's going on now. We’re not repeating what was done 20 years ago. We're stepping into what's going on now in the world. I just love what our creators have been able to do and they play no games. Bruce Smith and Ralph Farquhar have made it so they always bring in people who have grown up watching the show as well, who are creative to keep them young and keep them fresh.”

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As Penny navigates big emotions, bold friendships, and growing pains, the 38-year-old actress, who is raising two daughters and a bonus son with her partner, Danny Kirkpatrick, shared her own advice for guiding kids through the highs and lows of adolescence. 

“Personally, I think a lot of moms or a lot of parents forget that they were teens as well,” she said. 

“I try to find the balance because I know a lot of people talk about gentle parenting and stuff like that. You have to find a really good combo and balance. We have to remember that our children are human beings and a lot of these things that they're experiencing and they're navigating, it's their first time going through them. This is new to them. So come with a little bit of grace. Have conversations with your kids.”

And while “The Proud Family” continues to evolve, fans have often wondered how the “One on One” star  would like to see the series come to a close. Her answer? Keep it young. 

“I’m not sure,” she said.

 “I really love that they kept Penny young because there's so many different things and dynamics and situations that young people experience that I feel like adults can relate to because we've all been teenagers before. So to go into adulthood and Penny getting older and having her own family, that's like that's kind of cutting off the new generation coming in and being able to love it and enjoy it as well. It’ll be great for us, who've been around from the beginning, but it stops it from becoming something that can stay around for decades and decades that we don't want to cut off the new babies that can come in and relate. I love that they did the college episode because they gave us a little glimpse of their life and what it could be. I feel like if we just kept doing that and I feel like if we keep her in the teenage stages, I don't think you can run out of situations that we've experienced as teenagers. It makes it easier to have a larger audience.”

As for what she’d tell her younger self, the “Dr. Doolittle” star who first stepped into Penny Proud’s shoes back in 2001, kept it simple and honest. 

“I would tell young Kyla at the age of starting Penny Proud just to continue to be who you are,” she expressed. 

“It’s okay to not be like everyone else and trust your gut. I think that when I was a teenager, I was very secure. Nothing could really bother me. Then, as I started navigating through life, things would come around that would make me question myself like motherhood. I don't want to mess up my kids. I would tell younger Kyla like, just stay on the path that you're on and something is going to make you question yourself and just quiet the noise that's negative and focus on being you.”