James McAvoy Was Seriously Injured Filming It: Chapter Two

I don’t think anybody would say making a horror film’s easy. Some of the greatest scary flicks of all time have their own equally terrifying stories behind the camera. To name a few: the entire set of The Exorcist burnt down; the hotel the stars of The Conjuring were staying in caught fire; a body double was murdered on the set of Psycho, and please don’t get us started on The Shining. Now, it appears that It: Chapter Two has joined those ranks, at least in terms of the actors’ safety.

It was reported last year that star James McAvoy, who’s playing the adult version of main character Billy Denbrough, was injured on set while filming a fight sequence against Pennywise. At the time, the actor claimed he had minor strains in his thighs, but during the cast’s time at SDCC, he revealed the injuries were far more serious. Primarily, in addition to the quads, he ended up suffering from tendonitis for six months after shooting wrapped.

Now, if that all came as a result of him trying to kick down that glass mirror (which looked incredibly difficult in the trailer), we’d understand.

Of course, McAvoy didn’t divulge exactly which scene was the cause of his pain. But as it turns out, filming the highly-anticipated sequel had another effect on him: true fear. Here’s what he had to say about his time working with Bill Skarsgård on set:

“He’s amazing. The guy who plays the clown is terrifying. He’s a lovely guy, and yet he really freaked me out. I remember standing there with the rest of the cast, all these adults, and we’d all done weird, freaky stuff. And we are all looking at each other going, ‘I don’t like being here. I don’t like being an actor today.’ He really did, he really freaked me out. I never liked clowns as a kid.”

Tell us, are you excited for It: Chapter Two? And if you’re not, what more could you possibly need?! Let us know in the comments section below, and be sure to stay tuned to We Got This Covered for more Pennywise and SDCC updates.