Paul Reubens is best known as his alter-ego Pee-wee Herman, but that persona of the quirky entertainer wasn't his only time dressing up and becoming someone else.
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In the new HBO two-part documentaryPee-wee as Himself, Reubens offers a never-before-seen look into his personal life. The entire documentary — filmed before the iconic performer passed away in 2023 — pieced together over 40 hours of interviews, 1,000 hours of archival footage, and never-before-seen personal photos.
Pee-wee as Himself "is the definitive portrait of the comedic performer and a window into his never-before-discussed personal life. Determined to correct the record and tell the factual story of his life, Reubens excavates his kaleidoscopic influences, origins in the circus and avant-garde performance theater, and career choices, while reflecting on the reasoning behind, and the consequences of, severing his beloved alter ego from his authentic self," according to its press release.
In an exclusive clip from the documentary, courtesy HBO, Reubens opens up about doing drag while in art school and how it helped inspire him to be a performance artist. Reubens also talks about a student film he made while attending CalArts.
"I got in drag, and I made a film that I think, that was a dream," Reubens says. "You know, doing drag and kind of 'passing,' you know? I could draw a line from that to having an alter ego and being successful at having that character 'pass' as a real person."
In addition to Reubens, the documentary includes interviews with actors such as Lynne Stewart, Natasha Lyonne, S. Epatha Merkerson, Laurence Fishburne, Debi Mazar, David Arquette, and Laraine Newman, Tim Burton, Judd Apatow, and Elvira (a.k.a. Cassandra Peterson) herself.
Directed and executive produced by Matt Wolf, Pee-wee as Himself made its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
A scene in the documentary — which shows Reubens opening up about a romantic relationship he had with a man named Guy — quickly made headlines. Even though that relationship influenced his creation of Pee-wee Herman, Reubens remained focused on his career and became even more private about his personal life.
"I was out of the closet, and then I went back in the closet," Reubens says in the documentary. "I wasn't pursuing the Paul Reubens career; I was pursuing the Pee-wee Herman career."
The two-part documentary Pee-wee as Himself debuts May 23 on HBO and Max.
