No Playhouse For Busy Fishburne

The Matrix star landed his big break playing singing cowboy Curtis on Reubens' wacky 1980s TV show, but he won't be reprising the role onstage, when the funnyman revamps his most famous character, Pee-Wee Herman.

Fishburne explains, "He's (Reubens) really sweet. I got this call from him; he was like, 'Fish, I didn't want you to hear it on the street that I'm doing the show and I had to have a Cowboy Curtis... I'm going to hire another guy to do it.'

"He realised that because of my commitment to CSI, I wasn't going to allow me to come and do the show. I said, 'Fine, that's cool, go with God.'"

But the actor insists he wants to be part of a planned Pee-Wee's Playhouse movie: "If he can get the money together to make another Pee-Wee movie, I will absolutely suit up, put on the jheri-curl, get the guitar... I love him, he's the real deal."