Much like how Seinfeld was actually a show about everything, Pee-wee Herman is a rare, eternal character who transcends culture and time. That is why Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, Paul Reubens’ latest film as his eternally youthful alter-ego, his first in 28 years, feels so natural in 2016.

As a relatively new Pee-wee fan myself, I had no problem investing in the boyish charms, laugh-honks, and retro-tinged gags that comprised the very idiosyncratic yet all-inclusive humor Pee-wee Herman embodies. Existing in the same universe as Pee-wee’s previous big escapades, Big Holiday finds our protagonist motivated by a budding friendship with Joe Manganiello (who, incredibly, just plays himself) to embark on a cross country road trip to attend a swanky birthday party. As you can imagine, very little goes as planned and Pee-wee meets an incredibly colorful cast along the way, including Jessica Pohly, Alia Shawkat, and Stephanie Beatriz, who play a rough-and-tumble group of bandits that derail Pee-wee’s trip almost immediately.

Nerdist was lucky enough to sit down with Paul Reubens, Joe Manganiello, Alia Shawkat, Paul Rust and Jessica Pohly to ask them what it was like to revisit and be a part of such an iconic pop cultural event, their best tips for aging as gracefully as Pee-wee, and their plot summaries of very obviously fake Pee-wee sequels. We even got the cast to give us their best Pee-wee laughs, so it was a pretty big day for all. A pretty Big Holiday even. Get it? HAW-HAW.

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Featured Image: Netflix

Matt Grosinger is the Music Editor of Nerdist. His family is very jealous that he got to interview Pee-wee himself. You can follow him on Twitter here.