In early August, shortly after the news of his death, Tim Burton wanted to honor the memory Paul Reubens posted a photo of himself on Instagram with the words: “I am shocked and saddened. I will never forget how Paul helped me early in my career. Without his support nothing would have happened. He was a great artist. I’ll miss”.
First film as a director Tim Burton it was actually released in 1985: let’s talk about Pee-wee’s Big Adventure which achieved great success in theaters (a good 41 million dollars on a budget of only 7 with amounts not updated for inflation – ed.), thanks to the incredible popularity in North America of the character played by the aforementioned Paul Reubens.
In an interview with the British Film Institute, the director explains that if it weren’t for the incredible trust placed in him by the lead character in Pee Wee, his professional path would likely have been very different.
He probably had as much, if not more, influence on the film than the studio did in some ways. Therefore, I have always been grateful to him. I only had two short films under my belt, and at that time it was literally unthinkable to go from two short films that no one had seen to directing a feature film. So, first of all, I knew that this was something special and extraordinary. If he hadn’t supported me like that, none of what happened next would have happened.
Then he adds:
I like the Pee Wee character. It was a surreal experience for me. Suddenly working with the crew and all these people, with Paul and the comedians and other characters. It was great because it was the first time I worked with people who based a lot of their work on improvisation. It was a completely different experience because up until that point I was basically locked up and drawing in a dark room. I was allowed to play in so many fun little subgenres that it seemed pretty easy. I felt comfortable with him and I was there mainly to support the character. Fortunately, I knew nothing (about the difficulties of making films – ed.), so I was not afraid of anything.
What do you think? If you’re a member of BadTaste+, you can have your say below!
Follow us on TikTok!
SOURCE: British Film Institute