“Quiz Lady ”director reflects on Paul Reubens' 'bittersweet' cameo and the film's Pee-wee Herman nod

Warning: This article contains spoilers from Quiz Lady.

The late Paul Reubens makes a delightful posthumous cameo in Quiz Lady, Hulu's new comedy with Awkwafina and Sandra Oh as estranged sisters on a cross-country trip to compete in a game show.

Marking his final film project before his death in July, following a private battle with cancer, Reubens takes on a role he always played best: himself. Director Jessica Yu tells EW "it was a dream" to work with the comic and that it was Oh who called up Reubens to pitch the part. "We were really excited that he was going to come and play with us," she says.

Holland Taylor portrays a prickly neighbor of Awkwafina's Anne who has a framed photo of Reubens in her home — only she believes it's of Alan Cumming, an actor who fans have said bears a resemblance to the beloved Pee-wee Herman star. When Anne spots the photo and asks her neighbor if she's a Pee-wee fan, Taylor matter-of-factly informs her that the photo is not of Pee-wee, but of Eli Gold from The Good Wife, played by Cumming.

Michele K Short/20th Century Studios; Everett Collection Sandra Oh and Awkwafina in 'Quiz Lady'; Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman

Towards the end of the film, Reubens drives up in a golf cart outside of the game show soundstage to surprise his superfan. Anne quietly requests that he play along with the charade and pretend to be Cumming.

"It was on our first day of shooting that we had him," Yu recalls. "I felt like it was such a good omen because the moment everybody knew that Pee-wee was on set, everyone's spirits lifted. He meant so much to people, and he was just so delightful. Bringing this moment of magic to the film is such a lovely memory, but is now quite bittersweet. No one knew what he was going through at that time."

There's also a clever nod to Reubens' iconic bow tie-wearing man-child in the film. Will Ferrell's game show host has a love of bow ties and displays every one he's ever worn on a wall on the set of the movie's fictional quiz show. "The fact that we had bow ties being a motif in the film was tied to Pee-wee," the director shares.

20th Century Studios Holland Taylor as a Paul Reubens-Alan Cumming superfan in 'Quiz Lady'

Reubens filmed his cameo last summer, and Yu remembers his dynamic with the cast as a total love fest. "Paul is also a huge Holland Taylor fan, so he kept saying he was honored to be in the scene with her," Yu says. "There was a time we needed them to ad lib some lines, to be shouting from the golf cart. They were sitting there giggling and having the best time. He was just throwing out these funny things. It's such a visual and emotional memory from that day."

Reubens, who died at age 70, revealed his cancer diagnosis for the first time in a statement released upon his death. "Please accept my apology for not going public with what I've been facing the last six years," Reubens wrote. "I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you."

Written by Jen D'Angelo (Hocus Pocus 2, Workaholics), Quiz Lady follows Awkwafina and Oh's sisters as they set off to compete on a game show for the cash prize after they learn that their mother is buried in gambling debt. Jason Schwartzman, Tony Hale, and rapper Dumbfoundead also star in the comedy, which Yu calls an underdog story. "It's about that sibling or family relationship where, when you look back, especially if you've had a difficult childhood as the sisters have, it can feel painful," she says, "but there's also strength in the fact that you went through it together."

Quiz Lady is streaming now on Hulu.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content:

• Awkwafina and Sandra Oh bring the dysfunction as estranged sisters in Quiz Lady first look

• Paul Reubens' official cause of death confirmed

• Paul Reubens fans leave flowers at Pee-Wee's Big Adventure playhouse