The new members of It: Welcome to Derry's Losers Club weren't all fans of the series before signing on...and quite literally had to face their fears on set.
"I never watched any of the movies until I absolutely had to, because, Pennywise was always my literal number one fear. It's crazy full circle," Blake Cameron James tells GamesRadar+. "Because [it's] my number one biggest fear, and then I do a show for it – it's so crazy. So I never watched any of the movies, and so I literally had to, and then I realized the story was actually really, really good."
James plays 14-year-old Will Hanlon, the son of Leroy (Jordan Adepo) and Charlotte (Taylour Paige) Hanlon, and the eventual father of present-day Losers Club member Mike Hanlon. The novel It boasts a page count of 1,181, depending on which edition you're reading, and includes Mike's in-depth research into Derry's history – which is what the show is based on.
In the prequel series, which takes place in 1962 (as Andy Muschietti's live-action It universe has an altered timeline from the novel), Will and his family are new to town after his father, a Major in the US Air Force, is stationed in Derry. Before even coming face-to-face with the evil lurking within Derry, Will is subject to bullying at the hands of other children, not just because of being the new kid, but because of his race. Will manages to form a friendship with Rich (Arian S. Cartaya), a fellow outcast, and the two slowly but surely form the first iteration of the Losers Club...who eventually (according to that terrifying trailer) come face-to-face with Pennywise the Dancing Clown, played by none other than Bill Skarsgard.
"When I first met Pennywise, [Bill] was in full costume, full makeup," Cartaya, who is just 12-years-old, says. "And it was actually the first scene we had with him. It was super scary. I think I almost crapped my pants."
The prequel show, developed by It and It: Chapter Two director Muschietti and his producing partner Barbara Muschietti, not only delves into the history of Derry, but into the origins of Pennywise. As the evil clown only appears every 27 years, Muschietti plans for season 2 to take place in 1935, and for season 3 to take place in 1908...though Pennywise's first-ever appearance in Derry is somewhere around 1741.
Cartaya continues: "Bill, after the scene, he was the nicest person ever, like you actually get to talk to him and get to know him, and he's one of the nicest [people] you'll ever meet. But when he's Pennywise...don't talk to him."
"It was a scary experience seeing him in person," Amanda Christine, who plays Veronica 'Ronnie' Grogan, tells GR+. "And you would think all his teeth and like, the blood and everything gets edited on – No, that stuff was in person and in real life, and just having that right in front of you, and just how tall he is, and he's really scary – like his demeanor in the costume. It just gives scary. It's so scary." Don't forget that Skarsgard can also make the Pennywise face naturally...which is what got him the role in the first place.
Ronnie is another member of the Losers Club who is rejected by both the citizens of Derry and her fellow classmates after a terrifying, unexplainable event points to her and her family (though we know which evil entity is actually behind it). She becomes friends with Lilly Bainbridge (Clara Stack), a tortured soul who tragically lost her father and is navigating life away from her former best friend Marge (Matilda Stack), who is more concerned with fitting in with the popular girls.
James, whose character's entire lineage ends up meeting Pennywise, reiterates that Skarsgard is "crazy amazing" despite his terrifying appearance and performance. "How tall is he? Like, 6'5 or something, 6'4. So terrifying – he has no business being that scary. I will also add, though, that Bill is a very, very nice guy, and it's really weird because like, you're like, 'You look so scary. You look like you're gonna kill me!' And then he's like, 'Hi, it's really nice to meet you.' It's very disorienting, but he's very nice, for sure."
It: Welcome to Derry is airing now on HBO Max. For more, check out our It: Welcome to Derry release schedule, or, check out our guide to all of the upcoming Stephen King movies and shows you need to know about.
