Mighty Ducks Star Shaun Weiss Shares Sweet Story of Auditioning With Paul Rubens on Set of ‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse’ – ryan

Shaun Weiss says that Paul Reubens “never” broke character while on the set of Pee-wee’s Playhouse — even dressing up as the iconic Pee-wee Herman to make the young actor more comfortable during his audition at 6 years old.

“I’m not sure that I really understood the difference between real life and movies (at the time),” Weiss, 45, said on the April 14 episode of Pod Meets World — a Boy Meets World rewatch podcast hosted by Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong and Will Friedle.

Calling the experience “mind-blowing,” Weiss recounted how he got his audition for Pee-wee’s Playhouse with just hours to prepare.

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“I got the audition and I stayed up all night memorizing my five lines. And I’m going to do a scene with Pee-wee Herman! The next day, my mom schleps me into New York, like a three-hour trip and there’s all the waiting. It’s five hours before I’m in a room with the guy … Mind you, I’m only 6,” Weiss said.

He continued: “So I get into the room, and Paul is there, but he’s not in character. He’s just Paul Reubens, and he’s got a beard, and he has glasses. And I just I didn’t believe it was him. And so they kept telling me, that’s (him.) And I’m like, ‘Listen. I know I’m only 6, but don’t f— with me, right? Like, where’s Pee-wee?’ “

“And so I gave him such a hard time because I was this kind of kid, you know? And so Paul left the room for about a half-hour, however long, and transformed himself into Pee-wee. Hair, costume — and came back into the room as Pee-wee so that I could (do the audition).”

Once he finally met the “real” Pee-wee, a young Weiss told the older actor, “Pee-wee, I just gotta let you know before you got here, there was some guy, and he was telling everybody that he was you.”

Ever the good sport, Reubens took the moment in stride, telling Weiss (in the Pee-wee Herman voice), “Yeah. That was Paul. He does that to everybody.”

“That’s the kind of guy that Paul was — to do that, to make me feel comfortable. A real sweetheart,” Weiss said.

Reubens starred in numerous projects as the iconic character, including The Pee-wee Herman Showwhich lasted from 1981 to 1984, and Pee-wee’s Big Adventure in 1985. Next came Pee-wee’s Playhousewhich ran from 1986 to 1990 on CBS, and in 1988, Pee-wee jumped to the big screen once again in Big Top Pee-wee.

Reubens died on July 30, 2023, at 70 years old.

Weiss ultimately did land the role, starring as as Elvis on Pee-wee’s Playhousebut his true breakout part came in The Mighty Ducks films, in which he starred as Greg Goldberg.

After appearing in the franchise and other films and TV shows like Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Boy Meets World and Freaks and Geeks in the late ’90s and early 2000s, the former child star hit a rough patch, eventually experiencing homelessness and meth addiction.

In 2018, Weiss entered rehab after a series of arrests, but was arrested again two years later for residential burglary while reportedly high on meth.

In 2022, the actor shared that he was two years sober, and a month later announced that he’d been cast in his first role in 14 years, appearing in the 2023 film Jesus Revolution.

On Dec. 25, 2024, the actor announced that he and his girlfriend Shannon are expecting their first baby together.