- Within the first official trailer for the upcoming two-part documentary Pee-wee as Himself, Paul Reubens posthumously appeared again on the enduring character and his previous controversies
- The documentary, directed by Matt Wolf, premiered on the 2025 Sundance Movie Pageant in January
- Reubens died in July 2023 at age 70 after having endured a years-long journey with most cancers
Paul Reubens is introducing himself to the world posthumously.
On Wednesday, April 23, HBO launched the official trailer for Pee-wee as Himself, a two-part docuseries in regards to the man finest referred to as the beloved character Pee-wee Herman.
The venture was filmed shortly earlier than Reubens died at 70 in 2023, permitting him to talk out for the primary time to “inform the factual story of his life” and reveal the origins of his “avant-guarde efficiency,” all “whereas reflecting on the reasoning behind, and the results of, severing his beloved alter ego from his genuine self,” based on the press launch.
Within the trailer, followers lastly hear from Ruebens in his personal phrases by means of 40 hours of “soul-baring” interviews.
“It is bizarre to be on this scenario, having a documentary made, as a result of I am used to having management of my alter ego. I needed to be a efficiency artist,” he says to start with, then singing: “I may present you my characters.”
“Out of nowhere, Pee-wee Herman popped out of me,” he continues. “The viewers ate it up and went loopy.”
Reubens rose to fame within the Eighties, when his quirky, comedic persona caught public consideration.
“Hollywood had taken discover,” he says. “I imply, how may they not? There wasn’t, like, a second within the ’80s, that wasn’t tremendous cool to be me!”
“After which — darkish music, bum, bum, bum, bum — I misplaced management of my anonymity, and it was devastating,” he provides.
The incident Reubens is referring to was his 1991 arrest for indecent publicity in an grownup movie show, which he pleaded no contest to. A decade later, he bumped into hassle with the regulation once more when his residence was raided and pornographic materials involving minors was reported to be found in his possession. The next yr, in 2002, he turned himself in on a misdemeanor cost of possessing supplies depicting youngsters underneath the age of 18 engaged in sexual conduct.
Reubens continued to take care of his innocence (he mentioned the photographs have been a part of a classic erotica assortment) and finally pleaded responsible to a lesser cost in 2004.
“I do not need to come off like a sufferer not directly,” he says within the trailer. “I stored who I used to be a secret for a very very long time. I hid behind an alter ego.”
“I needed youngsters to be taught: not solely is being totally different okay, let’s have fun it,” he explains. “However I need that not only for you, however for myself.”
Reubens additionally addresses his impending loss of life within the docuseries, which was taped on the finish of his six-year battle with most cancers.
“Loss of life is simply so ultimate,” he admits. “To have the ability to get your message in on the final minute is unimaginable. All these totally different feelings, all these totally different influences and elements. I used to be like a great vessel for all of it.”
Simply because it got here to an in depth, Reubens teases yet one more sensitive subject the docuseries goes to show: “I am gonna omit the half the place we did huge quantities of medication. Um… Oh, I did not.”
By no means miss a narrative — join ipromiseyoumedia’s free day by day neighborhood to remain up-to-date on one of the best of what ipromiseyoumedia has to supply, from juicy superstar information to forcing human curiosity tales.
Pee-wee as Himself premieres Friday, Could 23 at 8 p.m. ET, with each components airing back-to-back on HBO.