At the Sundance Film Festival, a new documentary titled Pee-wee as Himself sheds light on the life of Paul Reubens, the actor famous for his portrayal of the beloved character Pee-wee Herman. The film reveals that Reubens, who passed away in 2023, posthumously came out as gay, providing a deeper understanding of the actor's personal struggles with his identity and fame.
A Journey Back into the Closet
In the documentary, Reubens openly discusses how he initially embraced his sexuality, having a relationship with a man named Guy. However, as his career gained momentum, particularly with the Pee-wee Herman character, he felt compelled to retreat back into the closet. "I was secretive about my sexuality even to my friends [out of] self-hatred or self-preservation," Reubens reportedly shares in the film. "I was conflicted about sexuality. But fame was way more complicated."
This internal conflict highlights the pressure Reubens faced in maintaining his career and public persona while navigating his personal identity. Despite being open at first, he chose to hide his true self as Pee-wee Herman's popularity soared.
The Influence of Guy and Secret Relationships
Reubens explains that Guy, who tragically died of AIDS, was a significant influence on the creation of Pee-wee Herman. Throughout his life, Reubens had numerous secret relationships but kept them hidden due to societal pressures and his career needs. "I was out of the closet, and then I went back in the closet," he admits in the documentary. "I wasn’t pursuing the Paul Reubens career. I was pursuing the Pee-wee Herman career."
Legacy of an Unconventional Icon
Reubens passed away at the age of 70 after a long battle with cancer. Into magazine’s Henry Giardina described him as "an unapologetically odd, decidedly queer-coded performer who brought a little weirdness into our humdrum lives for decades." His unique style and humor made him a beloved figure, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community, despite never officially coming out during his lifetime.
"Though Reubens never officially came out or spoke about his sexuality," Giardinia noted, "his deliberate oddness, offbeat sense of humor, and ability to playfully poke fun at societal mores made him a beloved queer icon to millions."
Facing Controversies and Misunderstandings
The documentary also explores the challenges Reubens faced, including his widely publicized 1991 arrest for indecent exposure, to which he pleaded no contest. Reubens remarks, "More than anything, the reason I wanted to make a documentary was for people to see who I really am and how painful and dreadful it was to be labeled something I wasn’t. To be labeled a pariah; to have people be scared of you, or untrusting… My whole career, everything I did and wrote, was based in love."
He further expresses the personal impact of being labeled as a pedophile, saying, "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."
Accusations of Homophobia
The documentary suggests that Reubens' legal issues were exacerbated by homophobia, with publicist Kelly Bush Novak describing the child pornography charges as "a homophobic witch hunt." Although Reubens was charged in 2001 with possession of child pornography, he maintained that the materials were "vintage erotica." The charges were eventually dropped in 2004, with Reubens pleading guilty to a lesser charge related to obscenity.
Reubens stopped cooperating with the documentary’s director, Matt Wolf, when pressed about the 2001 scandal. However, he recorded audio for the film shortly before his death, hoping to provide an understanding of his experiences being unfairly labeled and misunderstood.
"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 said. "I wanted people to understand that occasionally, where there is smoke, there isn’t always fire."
Through this documentary, Paul Reubens' life and struggles are brought to light, offering insights into the complexities of identity, fame, and the societal pressures faced by LGBTQ+ individuals. His legacy as an innovative performer and an emblematic figure within the queer community endures.
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