Filming has begun on next year’s IT: Chapter Two, which puts actor Bill Skarsgård back into the clown costume of a horror icon he helped make even more iconic last year, Pennywise. What has it been like for the actor, getting back into the terrifying role?
“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.”
“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.”
Skarsgård also spoke about working with big name actors this time around.
“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.”
Andy Muschietti returns to direct the sequel, which features the adult version of Losers’ Club members who survived the malevolent Pennywise. James McAvoy plays Bill, Bill Hader is Richie, Jessica Chastain is Beverly, James Ransone is Eddie, Andy Bean is Stanley, Jay Ryan is Ben and Isaiah Mustafa is Mike.
Barbara Muschietti, Roy Lee and Dan Lin are producing the pic from a screenplay adapted by Gary Dauberman.
Warner Bros. will release the film in theaters on September 6, 2019.
