The return (again) of Pee-wee Herman

Reubens’ recent spate of roles mark a return from another hiatus — a two-year period that coincided with a second legal snafu (a misdemeanor obscenity charge for possession of erotic photos) during which he relocated to Florida to care for his terminally ill father.

“It just wasn’t, like, comedy time for me,” he says.

But his latest work shows he’s clearly back to comedic form. Wearing Pee-wee’s shrunken gray suit and laughing his big laugh on the Spike awards stage “felt completely familiar and great,” Reubens says. “It was like deja vu.”

The character he brought to life on “30 Rock” is so odd and out-there, Reubens says “it’s like something I would have written.” And he didn’t even have to audition. Show creator Tina Fey wrote the part for him, he says.

It’s that kind of outside confidence in his acting chops that will help Reubens branch out, both as Pee-wee and away from him, says talent manager Lou Pitt.

“It’s difficult to do and it takes time to change people’s perceptions,” says Pitt, who doesn’t represent Reubens. “For actors, they’re really dependent upon the auspices of the directors and people who believe in a different side of (them).”

Arquette, Cox connection
Arquette, a fellow comedian, actor and filmmaker, is one of the believers. He and Reubens became fast friends after meeting on the set of the 1992 movie “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

Arquette cast Reubens in his directorial debut, last fall’s “The Tripper,” and his wife, Courteney Cox, tapped him for a role in her show, “Dirt.”

“In a way, I’ve become one of the Arquettes,” Reubens says. “They’re kind of keeping me working.”

Arquette says his friend inspires him, calling Reubens “a national treasure that should be cultivated.”

“Paul is one of the most creative, caring, thoughtful and imaginative people I’ve ever met,” Arquette says. “He’s got such an eye for art, an eye for film and story and comedy and it’s such a unique look.”

Reubens knew as a child that he wanted to be an actor. “I was a big TV freak as a real little kid,” he says, always drawn to the theatrical and offbeat. He actively pursued his craft in middle school and went on to rule his high-school drama department. He continued his studies at Cal Arts, then with the Groundlings, where he developed Pee-wee Herman.

Besides reviving Pee-wee and taking on dramatic roles, Reubens wants to write and direct and play parts that seem “fun or interesting.”

“I’m not even above just pure fun,” he says. “It doesn’t even have to be interesting.”

MORE FROM CELEBRITIES

Celebrities Section Front

Britney asks, 'What the hell was I thinking?' Lisa Marie Presley delivers twin girls Pitt changed Jolie’s mind about biological kids Cloris named Rose Parade grand marshal ‘Paparazzo’ may be bad word in Reeves case Accused Cusack stalker accepts plea deal Meat Loaf hospitalized for 3 days in London Brinkley to ex: Shield kids from TV interview Judge orders Ryan O’Neal’s son into detox Is Angelina breastfeeding on W mag cover? Celebrities Section Front   Add Celebrities headlines to your news reader: