Bill Skarsgård Shares Why He Nearly Passed on Pennywise Return
Bill Skarsgård reveals what made him wary about stepping back into Pennywise’s shoes for HBO’s It: Welcome to Derry, and how the new series changed his mind.
Bill Skarsgård has opened up about his initial reluctance to don the clown makeup again for the HBO prequel series It: Welcome to Derry. The Swedish actor, who became a horror icon thanks to his chilling portrayal of Pennywise, admitted he wasn’t immediately keen on revisiting the role that made him famous.
Chatting with ScreenRant, Skarsgård confessed,
“I was more hesitant about it going into it than going out of it,”
but said he ended up having heaps of fun during production. The idea of returning to the character was first floated after the success of the two IT films, but Skarsgård was wary about stretching the story too thin.
“We did the two movies, and they were very successful,”
he said, adding,
“You don’t want to milk this one out with a TV show”
that might not live up to the original films’ reputation.
Finding New Ground with Pennywise
Despite his doubts, Skarsgård was eventually swayed by the creative direction of the series. Once he saw what the showrunners had in mind, he felt there was fresh territory to explore.
“I feel that, in the end, we explored some parts of Pennywise that we hadn’t seen before or hadn’t done,”
he explained. Working alongside director Andy Muschietti, Skarsgård found new layers to the character, saying,
“Andy and I always have fun together, and I think that we did those aspects of it. Even with Pennywise’s performance, there was like, ‘Okay, here’s a juicy scene, and you see something else from Pennywise, or more of him.’ I had fun with those scenes, for sure.”
The prequel series delves deeper into the origins of the infamous clown, finally shedding light on his backstory as Bob Grey. The show also introduces a twist: Pennywise’s ability to see into the future, which adds a new dimension to his interactions with the town of Derry and hints at his motives for targeting the parents of the future Losers’ Club.
What’s Next for Welcome to Derry?
At this stage, a second season of It: Welcome to Derry hasn’t been officially announced. If it does get the go-ahead, the next chapter is set to tackle the Bradley Gang Massacre, a notorious shootout in Derry’s history. The timeline would jump back 27 years before the events of the first season, landing the story in the 1930s.
For now, all episodes of Welcome to Derry are available to stream on HBO Max. Fans keen for more Stephen King adaptations can check out guides to upcoming films and series, or browse the best shows currently streaming on the platform.