--- description: Paul Reubens, the late actor known as Pee-wee Herman, had his last film role in 'Quiz Lady.' title: Quiz Lady's Paul Reubens Cameo Nods to a Longtime Joke image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc9db9ad380ac0e31/698a41f347ca381c223bb4c1/paul-rubens-quiz-lady-cameo.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Paul Reubens' Final Film Role in _Quiz Lady_ Is a Sly Nod to a Longtime Joke  by [Cady Lang](/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 3, 2023 4:33 PM CUT  Paul Reubens Paul ReubensGetty Images (2)  by [Cady Lang](/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 3, 2023 4:33 PM CUT Though gags and antics abound in _Quiz Lady_, there may be no surprise as scene-stealing (and bittersweet) as the cameo [Paul Reubens](https://time.com/4263336/pee-wees-big-holiday-paul-reubens/ "undefined"), the actor best known as [Pee-wee Herman](https://time.com/6299801/paul-reubens-pee-wee-herman-dies/ "undefined"), makes in the final scenes of the movie. In the film, which stars [Awkwafina](https://time.com/collection/time-100-next-2019/5718887/awkwafina/ "undefined") and [Sandra Oh](https://time.com/5336867/sandra-oh-emmy-nomination/ "undefined") as sisters looking to get rich quick by appearing on a game show, a photo of Reubens is framed in the home of Awkwafina's character's curmudgeonly neighbor, played by Holland Taylor. Riffing on fans' long-running fascination on the physical resemblance between Reubens and [the actor Alan Cumming](https://time.com/6107693/alan-cumming-baggage/ "undefined"), Taylor's character mistakenly believes that the photo is of Cumming, whom she loves from watching [_The Good Wife_](https://time.com/4322155/good-wife-finale-feminism-politics/ "undefined"). When circumstances lead the neighbors to a studio backlot, Taylor's character gets to meet Reubens, who plays himself but gamely agrees to masquerade as Cumming, complete with a Scottish accent, to make the old woman's dreams come true. The cameo is the final appearance that Reubens would make in a film following his death this July after a six-year battle with cancer. While Reubens is inextricably linked to his zany, bow-tied alter ego, it's refreshing that his final role was playing himself, albeit while being mistaken for Cumming, a longtime friend. The resemblance between the two actors, [who were often referenced as doppelgangers for each other](https://cheezburger.com/4929140480/pee-wee-herman-paul-reubens-totally-looks-like-alan-cumming "undefined"), was so great that some people [mistakenly believed they were related](https://cheezburger.com/4929140480/pee-wee-herman-paul-reubens-totally-looks-like-alan-cumming "undefined"). Following Reubens' death, Cummings even referenced this longtime joke in a tribute on Instagram to his old friend. "When I was younger people always said I looked like Paul," Cumming wrote in the caption to his post. "When I met him he told me people always told him he looked like me...a true idiosyncratic genius." ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6330646/pee-wee-herman-paul-reuben-final-role-quiz-lady/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6330646/pee-wee-herman-paul-reuben-final-role-quiz-lady/"},"headline":"Paul Reubens' Final Film Role in Quiz Lady Is a Sly Nod to a Longtime Joke","datePublished":"2023-11-03T16:33:56.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T16:37:18.780Z","description":"Paul Reubens, the late actor known as Pee-wee Herman, had his last film role in 'Quiz Lady.'","url":"https://time.com/6330646/pee-wee-herman-paul-reuben-final-role-quiz-lady/","keywords":["movies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc9db9ad380ac0e31/698a41f347ca381c223bb4c1/paul-rubens-quiz-lady-cameo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc9db9ad380ac0e31/698a41f347ca381c223bb4c1/paul-rubens-quiz-lady-cameo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"paul-rubens-quiz-lady-cameo","caption":"Paul Reubens","creditText":"Getty Images (2)","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6330646/pee-wee-herman-paul-reuben-final-role-quiz-lady/","name":"Paul Reubens' Final Film Role in Quiz Lady Is a Sly Nod to a Longtime Joke"}}]}] ```