2017 was the year everyone developed Coulrophobia (fear of clowns) thanks to the It movie (opens in new tab) and Bill Skarsgård's incredible performance as Pennywise. With the home release just around the corner, we have an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how the terrifying clown got his signature smile thanks to director Andrés Muschietti and Skarsgård himself.
"Apart from being an incredibly talented actor he [Skarsgård] has an amazing control over his body and some weird control of his face in particular," says Muschietti. If you've seen the movie, you'll know exactly what the filmmaker is talking about and the actor reveals in the above clip that the creepy smile Pennywise has is actually something he's always been able to do. "I do this thing with my lip," he says. "It's a thing that I’ve been doing since I was a little kid and I always wanted to bring this lip thing into a character".
Other incredible things we found out from the video: Muschietti planned to give Pennywise a lazy eye which slides off to the side using CGI before Skarsgård revealed that he could actually make his eye do that itself! Yes, he shows how in the clip. As well as some disturbing Pennywise impressions, Skarsgård also mentions his audition for the role which he recently revealed (opens in new tab) was "one of the most bizarre things" he's ever done, as he ended up scaring passers-by on his way to see Muschietti. It's clear the actor has put his heart and soul (and the rest of his body) into the role and I can't wait for his return in It: Chapter 2 (opens in new tab).
It arrives onto 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™, and DVD January 15. Own it now on Digital Download.
