HBO's 'Pee-wee as Himself' delves into the life of Paul Reubens, examining his rise to fame, his controversial arrests, and the lasting impact of being labeled a 'pedophile'. The documentary features interviews with Reubens himself, as well as archival footage and insights from those who knew him.
On the day before his death in 2023, Paul Reubens , the children's entertainer better known as Pee-wee Herman, recorded a rueful statement about being labeled a 'pedophile' after his bombshell arrests on indecent exposure and obscenity charges in the 1990s and 2000s.
'More than anything, the reason I wanted to make a documentary was to let people see who I really am and how painful and difficult it was to be labeled something that I wasn’t,' he says in HBO Documentary Films' 'Pee-wee as Himself,' which premiered Thursday at the Sundance Film Festival. 'The moment I heard someone label me as — I’m just going to say it — a pedophile, I knew it was going to change everything moving forward and backwards.'Directed by Matt Wolf, the two-part docuseries delves with uncommon depth into the actor and comedian's upbringing, rise to international fame and subsequent fall from grace, aided by its subject's vast photo/video archive and more than 40 hours of (sometimes cagey) interviews with Reubens, who did not reveal to the filmmakers that he had been diagnosed with cancer. In particular, 'Pee-wee as Himself' reconsiders Reubens' 1991 arrest for indecent exposure at an adult theater in Sarasota, Fla., to which he pleaded no contest, and his 2002 arrest for possession of child pornography — charges that were later dropped. The documentary suggests that both arrests, and the tabloid coverage they inspired, stemmed from prejudice against Reubens' homosexuality. As seen in contemporaneous footage, the earlier incident led actors Soupy Sales and Phil Hartman to call the performer a pervert and a deviant, respectively, while CBS dropped syndication of his popular children's program, 'Pee-wee's Playhouse.' The film expressly describes the latter as a 'political case' brought by then City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo and built on misconstruing Reubens' collection of vintage gay erotica as child pornography: As publicist Kelly Bush Novak says in an interview in the docuseries, 'This was a homophobic witch hunt.' (Reubens pleaded guilty in 2004 to a misdemeanor obscenity charge, for which he was still required to register as a sex offender for three years.)Reubens ultimately became estranged from the project, indefinitely delaying a final interview that was intended to focus on his arrests. 'The day before he died,' we learn from a title card, 'he decided to record audio on his own.' 'I wanted to talk about and have some understanding of what it’s like to be labeled a pariah, to have people scared of you, or unsure of you, or untrusting, or to look at what your intentions are through some kind of filter that’s not true,' Reubens says in the recording. 'I wanted people to understand that occasionally, where there is smoke, there isn’t always fire.' Reubens made his final film appearance in a cameo in Hulu's 'Quiz Lady' in 2023.
Pee-Wee Herman Paul Reubens Documentary 'Pee-Wee As Himself' HBO Sundance Film Festival Homophobia Indecent Exposure Child Pornography Defamation
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Tim Burton Celebrates 40 Years Of Filmmaking In 2025 & The Director's First Movie Proves Exactly Why He's Still So PopularPaul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman Smiling in Pee-wee&39;s Big Adventure
Read more »
2000 Meters to Andriivka' Review: Latest Ukraine Doc From '20 Days in Mariupol' Helmer Packs a Visceral, Existential PunchA documentary about the life and career of actor Paul Reubens, best known for his character Pee-wee Herman. The film explores Reubens' complicated relationship with fame and his desire to be seen as more than just a comedic persona. It features interviews with Reubens, his friends and family, and colleagues.
Read more »
When Your Pee Looks Or Smells Odd, See A DoctorYour urine can tell you a lot about your health.
Read more »
Chimps Pee in Sync: Social Hierarchy Drives Contagious UrinationA new study reveals that chimpanzees exhibit contagious urination, with lower-ranking individuals more likely to follow the lead of dominant chimpanzees. This groundbreaking research sheds light on the social dynamics and physiological responses of these primates.
Read more »
Chimpanzees Pee Contagiously, Study FindsA new study published in Current Biology reveals that chimpanzees exhibit contagious urination, meaning that when one chimp urinates, others in the group are more likely to follow suit. This phenomenon, observed in over 1,300 urination instances across 600 hours of observation, suggests a possible deeper evolutionary connection to humans and our social behaviors.
Read more »
Pee together, stay together: Chimps prove friendships are best built in the bathroomThe Kyoto University team observed the behavior of 20 captive chimpanzees at the Kumamoto Sanctuary in Japan.
Read more »