Paul Reubens Was So Much More Than Pee-Wee Herman
The late, great Paul Reubens completely changed the landscape of comedy with his character of Pee-wee Herman, becoming one of the handful of celebrities like Jim "Ernest P. Worrell" Varney, Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson, and Glenn "Divine" Milstead who become synonymous with their most famous roles. Honestly, there were probably a lot of people who learned of his passing at the same time they learned his actual name. Don't get me wrong, Pee-wee Herman is one of the greatest and most influential characters ever shown on screen and his hopeful embrace of the weird and creative has certainly made the world a better place. But Reubens was so much more than Pee-wee Herman and brought a number of other hilarious roles to life.
Who could forget his incredible turn on "30 Rock" as Prince Gerhardt, the inbred royal with a baby doll hand, or his role as FBI Agent Bob in "Matilda," where Danny DeVito accuses him of being a surfer dude, bodybuilder, and the star of a convention of male strippers? He was the kind of performer who would pop up on a random episode of TV and completely steal the show, as he did on "Reno 911" as Citizens Patrolman Rick. Reubens is the type of performer where folks could be asked to name a favorite performance and all name something different, but every answer would be the correct one. In honor of the passing of an absolute legend, here are just some of Reubens' most memorable roles outside of Pee-wee Herman.
Amilyn in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Has there ever been a funnier death scene than Paul Reubens' Amilyn in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer?" I think not. For many years, there was a lot of unfair scorn thrown at the criminally underrated "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" movie, namely because diehard fans of the series adaptation disliked that the film was a lot sillier than their Sarah Michelle Gellar-starring fave. It's a true shame because that meant a lot of folks never sought out the film directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui, which also boasts one of Reubens' very best performances as the vampire minion of Lothos (Rutger Hauer).
Not only is Reubens at his absolute sexiest '90s sleaze with his tousled long hair and leather jacket, but he's also the king of the one-liners. "Kill him a lot" is a quip that gets some decent mileage in my own vocabulary, but his best moment is hands-down his extended death. After being staked through the heart, Amilyn writhes in pain for ... way longer than he probably should. He eventually slumps to the floor, only to be revealed in a post-credits scene as still dying. It's a bit that would be tiresome if performed by anyone else, but with Reubens in the role, it's comedy gold.
The performance is beloved by many, and Reubens even reprised the role in a season 1 episode of "What We Do in the Shadows" as a member of the Vampiric Council. Of course, they had to call him "Paul" in the episode so as to not get sued into oblivion by Joss Whedon or something, but his appearance was a delight to all who (correctly) agree that Amilyn is the best vampire Buffy ever slayed.
Lock in The Nightmare Before Christmas
With an extensive background in comedic character work, Paul Reubens enjoyed an impressive career as a voiceover artist. He appeared in everything ranging from children's cartoons like "Phineas and Ferb" and "The Smurfs" to more adult fare like "Robot Chicken" and "Tom Goes to the Mayor." This is, of course, just a fraction of his voiceover appearances, but one of his earliest roles has cemented his place in the unofficial Goth Kid Hall of Fame.
A frequent collaborator with Tim Burton, Reubens was cast in the Burton-produced stop-motion classic from director Henry Selick, "The Nightmare Before Christmas." Reubens teamed up with Catherine O'Hara and Danny Elfman to voice Lock, Shock, and Barrel, the mischievous trick-or-treat trio of henchmen working for Oogie Boogie to kidnap "Mr. Sandy Claws."
Presented as the leader of the group, Lock resembles a classic red-devil Halloween costume with his hair styled like devil horns and boasting a devil-like tail that is part of his body. The voice Reubens uses is a bit deeper than his usual Pee-wee fare and brought a playfully evil tone to the devil child. It also allowed him the opportunity to sing in character voice, something he did sporadically across his career. Some personal favorites include "Put Down the Duckie" on the 1988 "Sesame Street" special, "Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine" from his 1985 episode of "Saturday Night Live" and his rendition of "Surfin' Bird" as Pee-wee Herman in "Back to the Beach."
The Spleen in Mystery Men
"Why are you guys always dissing me? It hurts my feelings. I'm a superhero too. I have powers!"
I saw "Mystery Men" in theaters for a classmate's ninth birthday party solely because Kel Mitchell, who was a comedy god in our elementary school-aged eyes, was going to be in a superhero movie. My friends and I scurried into the theater with hands full of those kiddie snack packs of popcorn and candy, ready to watch a movie that our adult chaperones probably should have vetted a little better before bringing in a gaggle of tweenage girls. And in one of my fondest movie-going memories from childhood, the second The Spleen arrived on screen, I erupted with joy and screamed "THAT'S PEE-WEE HERMAN!" and was met with laughter from other audience members and a lot of confusion from my friends. I was a weird kid.
As The Spleen, Paul Reubens made it a superpower to be the "ugly" kid with acne and made it not so embarrassing to fart. What could be seen as an incredible weakness, deadly farts, is proven to be the greatest strength of all. His character's entire existence is a giant fart joke, and yet there's heart to be found beneath the greasy hair and bad breath. "Mystery Men" is a movie about lesser heroes, and even in this ragtag group of misfits, The Spleen was still the biggest outsider. And yet, Reubens made him a hilarious star and the beating heart of the entire film. Turns out that forever being the one who dealt it doesn't have to be such a bad thing.
Ivor in Minecraft: Story Mode
With an extensive career in voiceover work, Paul Reubens has of course dabbled in the world of video games. In his most recognizable role, Reubens is the voice of Ivor in the story mode of "Minecraft." A disgruntled former Brewer of The Order of the Stone, Ivor is one of the recurring antagonists throughout the game's chapters. He's grumpy, cynical, and dismissive at first, but is eventually revealed to be someone also looking to bring down The Order of the Stone for being corrupt liars and the source of plenty of laughs. Back in 2016, Reubens spoke with Telltale Games about how much he loved playing the character, and how honored he is to be a part of the "Minecraft" franchise.
"Working on 'Minecraft' is different than working on a cartoon in that we always want to give the director multiple choices, more variety, more options because sometimes I feel like it can change in post a lot," he said. "It's fun to be a part of a world that's exciting to other people." As much as "Minecraft" might be written off by older folks as "kid's stuff," it's important to remember that "Minecraft" is the best-selling video game of all time, and it's not even close.
"”Pee-wee's Playhouse' was designed very much to encourage young people to think creatively and be creative and celebrating creativity and originality," he added. "I think I would say keep playing and keep dreaming and keep being original and creative because 'Minecraft' encourages all that and celebrates that and is that, and I feel like that's who I am and I feel like that's who you can be also."
Daddy Cobblepot and Bat-Mite in Batman Universe
It's a well-known fact that Paul Reubens has a small role in Tim Burton's "Batman Returns" as the father of Oswald Cobblepot (Danny DeVito), more commonly known as The Penguin. The former District Attorney of Gotham, Reubens donned a monocle, a thin mustache, and a bit of gray hair spray to play the wealthy patriarch Tucker Cobblepot who would eventually dump his infant son in a river upon realizing there was something very wrong with the newborn.
In a bit of brilliant meta-casting, Reubens played the role of Elijah Van Dahl on the TV series "Gotham," who is eventually revealed to be the father of Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor). And they say DC can't do multiverses as well as Marvel. Pfft. While both characters are the father of The Penguin, Tucker and Elijah are different in their approach to fatherhood. Tucker willingly threw a baby carriage into a river while Elijah was warm, loving, and left his great fortune to his son so he'd be financially secure for the rest of his life.
Reubens also happily played in the animated sandbox of Batman as well, providing the voice of Bat-Mite in "Batman: the Brave and the Bold." The character is an imp with magical powers from the Fifth Dimension who is utterly obsessed with Batman, existing as a Batman-inspired combination of the Great Gazoo from "The Flintstones" and Syndrome from "The Incredibles." With an un-ending shrine to all of the Batmen throughout the multiverse like he's Helga Patacki from "Hey Arnold!" Reubens channeled the childlike wonder present in his voice to give Bat-Mite the ultimate sound of an obsessed fanboy, and became a fan-favorite character.