Pee-Wee's Big Holiday: Were Paul Reubens & Joe Manganiello Friends In Real Life?

On July 31, 2023, the entertainment world was saddened to learn about the death of Paul Reubens. The actor and comedian was mostly known for playing the Pee-wee Herman character from 1977 until the end of his career. Reubens' outings as the childish fun-lover also saw him star alongside several notable actors, including his "Pee-wee's Big Holiday" co-star Joe Manganiello. That said, what was their relationship like away from the cameras?

It turns out that Reubens and Manganiello were close off-screen. While promoting "Pee-wee's Big Holiday," Reubens told USA Today that their bond is strong behind-the-scenes. "Life is like that — you never really know who is going to be your friend. Chemistry is chemistry. Joe's my friend, and I'm just crazy about him," he revealed.

Manganiello, who plays a fictionalized version of himself in the movie, echoed these sentiments. During the interview, he said that he agreed to the role before he even read the script as getting to star alongside his buddy was one of his main career ambitions. Reubens was delighted to work with Manganiello as well, and the "Pee-Wee's Big Holiday" experience allowed him to learn more about the "Magic Mike XXL" star.

While speaking to Collider in 2016, Paul Reubens explained that he liked Joe Manganiello from the first moment he met him. Hollywood is known for being full of people with massive egos, so Reubens was overjoyed to discover that his "Pee-wee's Big Holiday" co-star was down-to-earth and authentic.

"Just as a person, on a reality base, as myself, Joe is authentic, in so many ways," Reubens said of Manganiello. "If you meet him, in two minutes, you can tell he's the real deal. He's a real person. He's not pretentious."

However, filming "Pee-wee's Big Holiday" allowed Reubens to see the dorkier side of his friend's personality. He said that it took him a while to find out about his friend's nerdiness, but it only made him love him even more. "He's a complete nerd. And I don't think you would ever guess that, in a million years. I love that. I love his performance in my movie."