Paul Reubens died at 70 in 2023 after a private battle with cancer, though his comedic talents are still fondly remembered. He's particularly iconic due to his alter ego, Pee-wee Herman. After the bowtie-wearing man-child character's lengthy hiatus, he returned one more time in Pee-wee’s Big Holiday (which is streamable on Netflix subscription). The film paired the titular character with a new, very famous best friend, Joe Manganiello. Now, the True Blood actor is emotionally reflects on his late co-star and the “vivid” dream he had about him.
In Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, Joe Manganiello plays himself, befriending the quirky Fairville resident who convinces him to go to New York City to attend his birthday party. The two characters’ bond is at the heart of the 2016 movie, and Manganiello described to THR that their real-life friendship was just as meaningful, saying the late actor once came to him in a “vivid” dream:
I love Paul and I miss Paul a lot. Paul showed up and pranked me with a practical joke in my dream. It was one of those dreams when you wake up and it feels really real. It was so vivid. I just thought, gosh, if there was anyone on the planet who would use the afterlife to figure out how to play a practical joke on his friends and prank them in their sleep, it would be Paul. He was so generous. When he found out when your birthday was, he would bombard you with birthday cards, birthday messages, birthday texts, birthday videos the entire day. Friends of mine who just met him in passing through me, he would get their numbers and do it to ’em, too.
It sounds like Paul Reubens was an incredibly thoughtful friend who made sure to make you feel cherished on your most important day. Just hearing those comments about his commitments to remembering birthdays is enough to bring a tear to a person's eye. Given that information, it totally tracks that Reubens, who co-wrote the 2016 Pee-wee film, would have his character leave his small town for the first time to make it to a birthday party.
Hearing Joe Manganiello talk about that dream is also a bit surreal. It appears that even despite Reubens' death, his memory still remains within Manganiello's subconscious. I do like the notion of the late Batman Returns star pranking his co-star in his dream. Seriously though, the most meaningful friendships truly do leave a lasting imprint on the heart.
Shortly after news of Paul Reubens’ death broke, Joe Manganiello opened up about his dear friend, saying he was “one of the greatest comedic geniuses of all time." Manganiello also shared how Reubens fought for other “artists and weirdos.” The Spider-Man actor continued to tell THR about even more positive qualities the Primetime Emmy nominee and how they manifested on set:
He was such a genius, but he didn’t demand that you treated him that way. I remember when we went to set the first day, I said, ‘Paul, when we get there, am I calling you Paul or am I calling you Pee-wee? Are you in character?’ He said, ‘No, I’m Paul.’ When I got there, he was there in a full-on suit and bow-tie [like Pee-Wee] but he was still Paul. He really wanted to set you up to win.
That first-encounter moment Manganiello had with Reubens shows what kind of person he was. On set, the actor apparently still conveyed generosity while wearing his tight-fitting gray suit and belting out his distinctive “Ha ha!”
Before Paul Reubens passed away, he left behind one major project for HBO, as he put together a two-part documentary on his life. Joe Manganiello told THR he hadn't seen it at the time of the interview, but he's glad that it’s out there so that people can get to know who his buddy truly was.
Paul Reubens leaves a serious void, and one that likely won't be filled. While he is missed, like Joe Manganiello, we can remember and revisit his work and appreciate just how talented to he was. You can get to know the man behind Pee-wee by streaming the two-part documentary Pee-wee as Himself with a Max subscription.
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