‘Pee-wee Herman’ actor Paul Reubens hid terminal cancer from documentary director until his death

Paul Reubens did not archer his director, Matt Wolf, that helium was dying from cancer.

The histrion and comedian, who famously starred arsenic Pee-wee Herman successful the 1980s, passed distant successful 2023 astatine property 70. Before his death, helium gave implicit 40 hours of interviews connected camera astir his beingness and vocation for a two-part documentary, "Pee-wee arsenic Himself," present streaming connected HBO Max.

"I was scheduled to bash a last interrogation with him the week aft Paul Reubens passed away, and we had a speech a week earlier helium died," Wolf told Forbes connected Monday.

'PEE-WEE HERMAN' ACTOR PAUL REUBENS DEAD AT 70

Actor Paul Reubens poses for a representation dressed arsenic his quality Pee-wee Herman successful May 1980 successful Los Angeles. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

"I could archer thing was up with his health, but I didn’t recognize the gravity of it," the filmmaker shared. "I had nary crushed to judge helium was terminally ill, but we had a meaningful backstage speech that gave maine the assurances I needed to determination guardant with this film."

"I near that speech feeling similar it was aggravated but not reasoning excessively overmuch astir it," Wolf continued. "I recovered retired connected Instagram that helium [had] died, on with the remainder of the world; lone a precise tiny radical of adjacent friends were alert that helium was dying."

According to Wolf, they spoke astir everything — Reubens’ childhood, his analyzable narration with fame, his ambitions, his committedness to his alter-ego, his sexuality, his apprehension — but the information that he had been battling cancer for the past six years.

Paul Reubens did not archer his manager that helium had terminal cancer. He is seen present during the filming of "Pee-wee arsenic Himself." (HBO)

Wolf told the outlet that from the beginning, Reubens was anxious to archer his story.

"When Paul and I met, helium started the speech the aforesaid mode the movie starts, saying, 'I privation to nonstop a movie myself, but everybody's advising maine against it, and I don't recognize why,’" Wolf recalled. 

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Paul Reubens' scandals are covered successful the 2nd portion of the docuseries. (HBO)

"I said, 'Well, I'm present to speech to you astir directing a film, truthful wherefore don't we get to cognize each different and spot if we tin conceive of an attack that would entreaty to you.' That began a precise agelong and progressive process of communication, but successful that archetypal meeting, I didn't subordinate to Paul arsenic a fan."

WATCH: PAUL REUBENS WORKED WITH KIDS WITH CANCER BEFORE HIS DEATH: MARK HOLTON

While Wolf admitted that helium did not cognize astatine what constituent helium felt Reubens trusted him, the prima aboriginal remarked, "At immoderate point, you conscionable person to instrumentality a leap of faith.’"

"He took a leap of religion with me, and I’m grateful for it," Wolf added.

Wolf told the outlet that helium had a question that was ne'er afloat answered by Reubens during their lengthy sit-downs.

Actor Paul Reubens transforms himself successful the reflector into his quality Pee-wee Herman successful May 1980 successful Los Angeles. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images/HBO)

"It wasn’t that I wanted an answer, but I was moving chronologically done Paul's beingness successful this epic interview, and we stopped earlier the apprehension successful Florida," helium explained, referring to the entertainer’s 1991 detention for indecent vulnerability astatine an big movie theater.

At the time, Reubens was handed a tiny fine, but the harm was incalculable. In 2001, helium was arrested and charged with misdemeanor possession of kid pornography, which was reduced to an obscenity complaint with probation. These are covered successful the documentary’s 2nd part.

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Paul Reubens was initially hesitant to look backmost connected his beingness and vocation successful beforehand of cameras. (HBO)

"Paul anecdotally discussed that due to the fact that we had a digressive speech for implicit 40 hours, but I wanted to spell successful much item done his apprehension measurement by step," Wolf told the outlet. 

"Pee-wee arsenic Himself" is present disposable for streaming. (HBO)

"At the extremity of the film, I wanted to bespeak with him, not lone astir his precocious vocation work, but besides astir however helium felt having gone done the afloat interrogation astir this process, if helium did person each the position helium thought helium had, oregon if helium had learned thing astir himself done the people of telling his afloat story. He had besides been connected the grounds and successful the media discussing his 2nd arrest."

Wolf noted that it was important for the movie to person Reubens' past words successful his ain voice, arsenic good arsenic for the movie to extremity successful his voice.

"Pee-wee arsenic Himself" premiered earlier this twelvemonth astatine the Sundance Film Festival, wherever manager Matt Wolf got to spot affectional responses from audiences, whether they came to it arsenic fans oregon retired of immoderate curiosity astir the controversies. (HBO)

"The time aft Paul Reubens died, I started speechmaking the 1,500-page transcript of my interrogation with him, and I recovered value and meaning and each sorts of things that I wouldn't person understood before," said Wolf. "I did brushwood what are the past words of ‘Pee-wee arsenic Himself,’ which were profound and moving to me, and they really were the past things Paul said successful the interview."

Paul Reubens had been battling crab for six years. (HBO)

"… All these antithetic emotions, each these antithetic influences and factors, worldly that I saw erstwhile I was little, I felt similar I could someway springiness that back," Reubens reflected successful the documentary. "I felt similar a bully collector of it all. I was similar a bully vas for it all."

"Nothing would halt me," helium shared. "Nothing would deter maine that it would beryllium axenic successful each way. And I deliberation that’s what it was. It’s portion of wherefore I consciousness truthful arrogant of it. Because I delivered that. I’ve lived up to that. Not conscionable for you, but for myself."

Wolf told The Associated Press that successful looking backmost astatine their last conversations, it was wide that Reubens was "privately contemplating mortality."

"I was alert that this was an bonzer concern that was portion of the communicative of the movie and that the stakes were the highest I had ever experienced," said Wolf.

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Paul Reubens, left, is seen present with filmmaker Tim Burton. (HBO)

"Pee-wee arsenic Himself" premiered earlier this twelvemonth astatine the Sundance Film Festival.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.