Who Plays Pennywise in 'It: Chapter 2'? - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

You’ll float, too. It’s been about two years since the premiere of It: Chapter One. There, Pennywise stunned (and scared) audiences worldwide with his portrayal of Stephen King’s character. The kids from the first movie may be grown up, but that doesn’t mean their nightmare is over. Who is the actor behind It the Clown? Learn more about him, his work, and It: Chapter Two, here.

Bill Skarsgård portrays the clown from ‘It,’ named Pennywise

We all float down here. Since It: Chapter One premiered in 2017, the film became a cultural phenomenon, some saying this adaptation of Pennywise is even scarier than the original. Well, Pennywise is back and terrorizing Beverly, Bill, Eddie, and the rest of their friends. The clown entity, named Pennywise, is portrayed by actor Bill Skarsgård who, during an interview, described the process of transforming into the antagonist of Stephen King’s novel.

Bill Skarsgård IT Chapter Two — Bill Skarsgård attends the “IT Chapter Two” | Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images

‘It: Chapter One’ was not Bill Skarsgård’s first role in a film

Before he was in Stephen King’s film adaptation, this actor starred in other movies and short films. That includes Allegiant, where he portrayed Matthew and the television series Hemlock Grove, where he played Roman Godfrey. Of course, his portrayal of It in the first movie was equal parts iconic, terrifying, and genius.

“Obviously, it’s an extremely abstract character because the character is an entity taking the shape of a clown,” Skarsgård said d uring an interview with Collider. “I had to first figure out what the entity was and what the thing was that is taking the shape of the clown. The second step is to create the clown itself. I didn’t want the clown to be completely separate from the entity, right? I wanted ‘it’ to really shine through Pennywise as opposed to just Pennywise being the clown. So a lot of what the entity is I wanted to be in the background of who Pennywise is at all times.”

“There’s a line in the original book where it goes something like ‘the clown was its favorite form.’ It really enjoyed being the clown. He preferred to take the shape of the clown. Obviously, that opened ways of thinking,” the actor continued. “Why does he prefer being the clown? But also there is this sense of enjoyment. The entity that is ‘it’ is enjoying being the clown. There were a lot of abstract ways to look at it. I tried to take all of those in consideration when I embodied the character. That was very exciting.”

What is ‘IT: Chapter Two’ about?

Viewers last left off with the kids and a monster who, they presumed died in the sewers. They did make a promise, however, that if It were to come back, they would too. Well, that’s what happened. Fans first saw the teaser trailer for It: Chapter Two in May 2019. In it, fans saw Beverly return to where she used to live. Although, it’s not exactly how she remembered it.

Now as adults, the group of friends must face It again, try to get rid of it once and for all, and not die in the process. These films are based on the novel by Stephen King, however, the actors, including Bill Skarsgård, help bring the story to life.

IT: Chapter Twois currently available in theaters.

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