Regardless of how well you think the new Pennywise stacks up against Tim Curry’s memorably goofy portrayal in the TV miniseries, there’s no denying that Bill Skarsgård’s manic performance in IT was a key component in the critical and commercial success of last year’s horror hit. As you’d imagine, then, expectations are pretty high for IT: Chapter Two, and the actor seems primed to give audiences another round of the heebie-jeebies.
In a recent interview, Skarsgård claimed that immersing himself once more in the role of the dancing clown came all too naturally to him.
“I was surprised how much of the character was just there already,” Skarsgård just told IndieWire. “I instantly could access him again, like it was yesterday that we wrapped the first one. It was just all there. So, the work and preparation and figuring out the character is almost intuitive, which is pretty cool. It’s a very strange thing, but I’m trying to enjoy the ride, as much as I can.”
While Skarsgård seems confident and ready for film number two, the actor was apparently a little nervous coming into the first instalment – an understandable feeling, given the rocky history of horror reboots.
“The first time I did it, nobody knew what I would do with it, so it was just all of this expectation,” Skarsgård elaborated. “I didn’t know if it would work, or if people would respond to it. There was a lot of that worry going on about it…I worked really closely with Andy. This time around, because the movie became such a phenomenon, it’s almost like I’m re-adapting myself.”
For all Skarsgård’s efforts, there are only so many scenes he’ll be able to steal in the upcoming movie, seeing how the star will be performing opposite such big names as Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy. Fortunately, Skarsgård’s enthusiastic about working with this new, all-adult cast.
“It’s weird and it’s surreal because some of them are really big stars and they’re coming in to your thing,” he told the site. “They’re stepping into the thing that me and Andy and the kids did. They’re joining the band, in a way. They’re excited, and I just had a lot of fun hanging out with all of them. It’s going to be a very different shooting experience with all adults, for sure, but it will be fun. They’re all really cool and talented people, so I think they will bring a lot to the table.”
We’ll see what malevolent deeds Pennywise brings to the table when IT: Chapter Two hits theaters on September 6th, 2019.