Bill Skarsgård says he was "hesitant" in reprising the role of Pennywise in Welcome to Derry because he didn't "want to milk" the IT movies' success

Bill Skarsgård has shared he originally wasn't completely sold on returning as his horror icon Pennywise in the HBO prequel show It: Welcome to Derry.

Speaking to ScreenRant, the actor admitted that he was "more hesitant about it going into it than going out of it," though he eventually had "a lot of fun" making the show.

According to the actor, when the idea of playing Pennywise again was originally broached, he thought that "we did the two movies, and they were very successful," and he was concerned that "you don't want to milk this one out with a TV show" that might not compare to "the success of the previous films."

However, once he saw the plan for the show, he was convinced. "I feel that, in the end, we explored some parts of Pennywise that we hadn't seen before or hadn't done," he said. "Andy [Muschietti] and I always have fun together, and I think that we did those aspects of it. Even with Pennywise's performance, there was like, 'Okay, here's a juicy scene, and you see something else from Pennywise, or more of him.' I had fun with those scenes, for sure."

Welcome to Derry showed us a whole new side to Pennywise, finally revealing the truth behind his origins as Bob Grey, as well as bringing in the twist that Pennywise can see the future – and might be targeting the parents of the Losers' Club kids that will grow up to kill him.

So far, It: Welcome to Derry season 2 hasn't been officially confirmed. If it does get the green light, though, it will adapt the Bradley Gang Massacre, a huge shootout in Derry. It will also be set 27 years before season 1, which would place it in the 1930s.

All episodes of Welcome to Derry are streaming on HBO Max now. For more, fill out your watchlist with our guide to all the upcoming Stephen King movies and shows, or the best shows on HBO Max.