Paul Reubens preps for comeback: I’m still Pee-wee Herman

“Pee-wee’s Playhouse” used to be a favorite, and I loved the movies that came out of that show — “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and “Big Top Pee-wee.”

Then there was that whole nasty child porn scandal and things sort of when kaput for Paul Reubens’ career. Who really knows what happened, but the charges were eventually dropped.

But there’s no denying that the guy was a creative genius, and he’s hoping to bring back some of that magic. The Emmy-winning, 57-year-old actor is donning that skinny suit again for an elaborate live show and an upcoming movie, “Pee-wee’s Playhouse: The Movie.” In an interview with Details Magazine, he talks about his comeback, saying that he hopes he’s still “relevant.”

“What I’m trying to prove now is that I still have it,” says Reubens. “I’m still around. I still am Pee-wee Herman, and Pee-wee Herman is still funny.”

As for those nasty child-porn charges, he says, “All this stuff that happened — the quote-unquote treatment I received — was not an inducement to come back to work. To wait for somebody to give me permission to have a career wasn’t going to happen, you know?

“It’s a drag to have tabloid baggage. It’s weird to have your career be a footnote to that, especially when you love what you do. I’m not giving people that power anymore.”

Are you a Pee-wee fan? Or did the porn charges turn you against him for good?

Image: INF