Production on IT 2 is currently underway with the new adult cast coming into the world that director Andres Muschietti, Bill Skarsgård, and the kids of the original movie created. For Skarsgard, it's a completely different experience this time around, rubbing shoulders with A-list actors instead of being hidden like he was from the kids on the first film. Muschietti and Skarsgard worked very closely to make their own version of Pennywise the Dancing Clown, and they kept the clown hidden from the rest of the cast to get the maximum terror out of them.
Bill Skarsgard's take on Pennywise was very much his own with the help of director Andres Muschietti. Skarsgard set out from the beginning to distance himself from the version that Tim Curry made so famous. And, it worked really well. Skarsgard's version of Pennywise was the hot Halloween costume last year and has become a world-wide phenomenon. The actor took a look back at the past year and discussed everything that has changed for IT 2. Skarsgard explains.
"Yeah, it's weird. It's a bit strange 'cause it's a very different thing now. The first time I did it, nobody knew what I would do with it, so it was just all of this expectation. 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. But that was also cool 'cause I was just doing my thing and nobody knew what that was or could tell me how I should do it. I was like, I'm gonna distance myself from the Tim Curry performance, and then come up with some weird stuff, myself. I worked really closely with Andy (Muschietti), the director. This time around, because the movie became such a phenomenon, it's almost like I'm re-adapting myself."In terms of re-adapting himself to the role of Pennywise in IT 2, Bill Skarsgard is working with adults this time around, except for some flashback scenes where he'll be reunited with the children from the first installment. Jessica Chastain plays the adult version of Beverly Marsh, James McAvoy is Bill Denbrough, and Bill Hader is Richie Tozier, so Skarsgard is looking at his character from a different light. The actor also noted that it's going to be a very different shooting experience this time around. He had this to say.
"But off camera, I get to hang out with the entire adult cast now. It's weird and it's surreal because some of them are really big stars and they're coming in to your thing. 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."Bill Skarsgard was recently on the big screen in Deadpool 2 as a member of X-Force for a short amount of time. He played Zeitgeist, a character who is able to use his acid breath as a weapon. Unfortunately, he didn't make it out of the movie alive, though he died in a pretty humorous way. However, there's a good chance that Skarsgard will return as Zeitgeist for the upcoming X-Force movie.
It has been reported that IT 2 director Andres Muschietti will be on hand for this week's San Diego Comic-Con to give some early details about the upcoming sequel, which just started production. It's unknown at this time if he will be bringing any footage from the movie or even a behind-the-scenes reel with the adult cast meeting the young cast for the first time. Either way, fans of IT are excited about what Muschietti will reveal about the highly anticipated sequel. We'll just have to wait and see. You can read the rest of the interview with Bill Skarsgard over at Collider.
