Two Emmy-nominated documentaries are in the spotlight on the latest edition of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast: Pee-wee As Himself and Simone Biles Rising.
Filmmaker Matt Wolf, director of Pee-wee As Himself, reflected on working with Paul Reubens, who died of cancer in 2023 at the age of 70. Despite spending countless hours together in interviews, Reubens never revealed his illness. Wolf’s documentary explores the comedian’s carefully guarded private life and the tension between subject and filmmaker over control of the narrative. The HBO project earned five Emmy nominations, tied for the most of any nonfiction title this year.
The podcast also features Katie Walsh, director and executive producer of Netflix’s Simone Biles Rising, which is nominated for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series. Walsh gained rare access to Biles’ inner circle, producing an intimate portrait of the Olympic champion. The film highlights Biles’ struggles, including the mental health crisis that led her to withdraw from competition at the Tokyo Olympics.
Both films reflect a growing appetite among Emmy voters for documentaries centered on celebrity figures, even as the Motion Picture Academy remains less enthusiastic about the genre. Co-hosts John Ridley and Matt Carey also discuss other high-profile entries, such as Irene Taylor’s I Am: Celine Dion, which received recognition in the Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking category.
The episode underscores the ongoing debate about how best to evaluate celebrity-driven nonfiction, while making clear that such projects will remain a fixture in the documentary world.