What happened to Dottie from ‘Pee-wee’s Big Adventure?’

Elizabeth Daily is one of those actresses who had an astonishing career following the film Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, the breakout film of the late Paul Reubens who is being remembered this week by Daily and others following his tragic passing.

If playing Pee-wee’s love interest Dottie in the Tim Burton-directed film wasn’t an iconic enough role, she has also portrayed a number of other incredibly classic characters, such as Buttercup from Cartoon Network’s The Powerpuff Girls, Tommy from Nickelodeon’s Rugrats, and the titular pig from Babe: Pig in the City. Indeed, Daily is not the only iconic thespian who has crossed paths with Pee-wee, as The Matrix‘s Laurence Fishburne can attest.

Though Daily, who started as a child actress, was enjoying a hot streak playing many quirky cute girl roles during the time she was cast as Dottie in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, she said she “had no idea it was going to be so huge” since Burton was only an up-and-comer then (via San Antonio Current).

Recalling those memories of meeting and working with Reubens in the 1985 cult classic, Daily had warm things to say about her late co-star (via L.A. Magazine):

“Paul was just so sweet and gentle and working with him was hilarious. There’s something really brilliant about being able to feel like you’re a kid again.”

On Daily’s Instagram page, she posted a tribute of gratitude addressed to Reubens, describing her friendship with the actor as “getting to do this amazing ride with you.” She continued to describe her co-star as “Thoughtful, brilliant, kind and loved.”

Despite these loving thoughts, Daily also revealed to TMZ that she had no idea Reubens was privately battling cancer before his death:

“I had no idea that he was battling cancer […] I knew that something was going on. I could tell that he was not wanting to be out or be seen. I’d invite him to something, and he [would say] no… He felt fragile to me, honestly.”

It is clear that Reubens had a positive impact on Daily’s life through their collaboration, even as more and more celebrities express their condolences for a man with a praised but complicated legacy.