Joe Manganiello's Unlikely Friendship With Paul Reubens Is Back In The Spotlight

When it comes to celebrity friendships, Paul Reubens and Joe Manganiello probably aren't the first pals to jump to mind. The men come from two different generations, after all — Reubens was born in 1952, Manganiello in 1976 — and Reubens was best known for the comedic character Pee-wee Herman while Manganiello is more likely to be seen in action films or flaunting his physique in the "Magic Mike" franchise.

One might expect any sort of relationship between them to have been purely professional, or perhaps one of mentor and mentee, especially as Manganiello grew up as a fan of Reubens. "Paul Reubens is one of the great comic geniuses of our time," he told the Pee-wee Herman blog. "Growing up, my Saturday mornings were all about Pee-wee Herman. I saw everything he did."

Manganiello and Reubens were friends in the truest sense of the word, though, and their connection made headlines in 2016 when Manganiello paired up with his childhood idol in the film "Pee-wee's Big Holiday." Reubens' death on July 30 marked not only the loss of a Hollywood legend but also the end of a beautiful friendship. 

Paul Reubens and Joe Manganiello first met in 2011 at an Emmys party hosted by HBO. The star-struck Manganiello saw his hero in the crowd and made his move, risking being ambushed himself in his excitement to get the chance to meet Reubens. "Those parties are usually really difficult because it's just a room full of people who want to take selfies," he told The Moveable Feast. "If you want to go to the bathroom, it's going to take you an hour-and-a-half to two hours to get there. You usually go in, sit, and hide. But my publicist nudged me and said, 'Oh my God, it's Pee-Wee Herman. I thought, 'This is my only chance, I've gotta go say hi.'"

What could have just been a quick photo-op turned into more. Manganiello and Reubens stayed in touch after that first meeting, and Reubens kept him in mind when working on the script for "Pee-wee's Big Holiday." Manganiello was instantly on board when he heard about the film. "I told him I didn't even have to see a script — I'd do it," he told USA Today. "There's no bucket list where you write down, 'Play in a comic duo with Pee-wee Herman.' I still cannot fathom it."

In the film, Manganiello plays a fictionalized version of himself who becomes friends with Pee-wee, their on-screen camaraderie echoing their real-life friendship.

While Paul Reubens and Joe Manganiello's friendship was cut short by Reubens' death, it's evident that the years they were able to spend together meant a lot to both men. A few years after they first met, Reubens was in attendance at Manganiello's wedding to Sofía Vergara. While their marriage didn't last, Vergara got to know Reubens through his friendship with her husband — the three even gathered for a special screening of "Pee-wee's Big Holiday."

Paul Reubens acknowledged that his friendship with Joe Manganiello was unlikely, but that it worked. "Life is like that — you never really know who is going to be your friend," he told USA Today of their special bond. "Chemistry is chemistry. Joe's my friend, and I'm just crazy about him."

Manganiello considered himself lucky that his childhood hero turned into a real-life friend. "He's one of the nicest, most genuine, most generous, kind-hearted people I've ever met," he told Moviefone of Reubens. "He's just a really, really great, great person."