'It Was Kind Of Mean': Bill Skarsgard Recalls How IT Makers Released First Pennywise Photo Before Filming, Igniting Backlash

Bill Skarsgard played creepy villain Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the 2017 film 'It' and reprised the role in the 2019 sequel.

By Marita Pinto

Published on May 30, 2024 | 05:40 PM IST | 48.4K

Image Courtesy: IMDB

Bill Skarsgard is one of the most versatile actors who is all set to play Nosferatu in the remake of the 1922 silent film. And now Skarsgard is looking back on his role as Pennywise the Clown, he says that it was kind of mean that the character's initial look was out so soon.

Bill Skarsgard says IT Studio made a mistake by releasing his first look as Pennywise

In an interview with Esquire magazine, Bill Skarsgard claimed that the It studio might have made a mistake by releasing the first picture of him in the role of the evil clown Pennywise before the filming of the Stephen King book's film adaptation had even begun. By releasing a first-look picture so early in the filming process, Skarsgard claimed the company "did a thing that I felt was kind of mean."

Talking about picking up the role of Pennywise, Skarsgard said, "When you are 26, you don’t feel young at all, but now, looking back at it, I was a kid. It was fairly early on in my career to take on something that had so many eyeballs and expectations on it.”

More than a year before the first It movie hit theaters in September 2017, a first look of Skarsgard in the role of Pennywise appeared online in July 2016. "I was so incredibly nervous to start this job, and then the Internet is having so many hateful opinions on the weird, strange look of the thing,” Skarsgård said.

Horror fans dropped hateful comments

Some horror lovers attacked the It movie furiously because they did not think Pennywise would look like that. Skarsgård said he couldn't sleep because of the negative feedback, with fans telling him that “this looks stupid” and “lame.” As an actor, the fury drastically altered his viewpoint.

Skarsgård stated, "You can only make this performance to please yourself. It made a connection with me. It also gave me the confidence that I can overcome any obstacle. I feel that way, at least when I accept these things."

Skarsgard to fill Brandon Lee's shoes in the remake of The Crow

In the next remake of The Crow, Skarsgård is playing Brandon Lee, which is big like Pennywise. This happened following Lee's well-known passing due to an injury sustained while filming the 1994 movie, which was released after his death. Critics have already pointed out that his version of the character is far more contemporary than the original.

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