After The First Look Of Him As Pennywise The Clown Sparked Brutal Backlash, Bill Skarsgård Was Left Unable To Sleep As He Struggled To Deal With The “Hateful Opinions”

If you didn’t know, Tim Curry was the first person to bring Pennywise to our screens back in 1990, leaving Bill with huge shoes to fill.

By
Stephanie Soteriou
by Stephanie Soteriou

BuzzFeed Staff

When it was announced that a movie adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel It was in the works, many were understandably apprehensive.

Stephen King stands in front of two "IT" movie posters featuring a child in a yellow raincoat holding a red balloon
Scott Eisen via Getty

The book is about a monster that can transform itself into its victim’s worst fears, and it mostly takes on the humanoid form of Pennywise, a clown.


In 1990, ABC adapted It into a two-part miniseries, with esteemed actor Tim Curry being cast as Pennywise.

The series was a huge success, and Tim was highly praised by viewers and critics alike for his performance.

Pennywise the Clown, from the movie It, stands by a door, waving and smiling menacingly, dressed in a colorful clown costume with puffy sleeves and frills
Everett

In fact, it didn’t take long for his unnerving portrayal of Pennywise to become an established part of horror lore, with him widely being considered one of the most terrifying clowns in TV and movie history.


Detailing exactly what it was about Tim’s performance that made Pennywise such an instant horror icon, Rolling Stone explained: “He gloats, he giggles, he taunts, he devours the scenery like the monster himself devours middle-schoolers — and he generally sears his way right into the brain of the viewer."


Bloody Disgusting added: “His mixture of pleasant charm with gleeful terror has cemented the character in our minds, filling our slumbers with nightmares.”

So, when the 2017 movie was announced, there was immediate interest in who would follow in Tim Curry’s footsteps — and they were always going to face fierce scrutiny.

Tim Curry in a suit, wearing a patterned tie, holds papers while posing for a photo
Vinnie Zuffante / Getty Images

Director Andy Muschietti previously said he had no limits on who he would cast in the role, and was open to anybody — man, woman, young, or old — but it was Bill Skarsgård’s early audition that left Muschietti feeling “mesmerized.”

Bill Skarsgård and Andy Muschietti on a red carpet in front of a theater marquee. Both are wearing dark suits
Eric Charbonneau / Getty Images

Speaking to Esquire in a new profile on Bill, Muschietti said: “One second he can act all cute, and then the next, there’s something ancestral and dark that just appears. His ability to transform is mind-blowing to me.”


Of course, Bill landed the role. However, he admitted to the publication that Tim’s 1990 performance being so iconic put immense pressure on him.

“When you are 26, you don’t feel young at all, but now, looking back at it, I was a kid,” he explained. “It was fairly early on in my career to take on something that had so many eyeballs and expectations on it.”

Closeup of Bill Skarsgård
Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images

Bill also expressed his discomfort at the film studio’s decision to release a photo of him in character before filming had even begun.

Pennywise, from the movie "IT," grinning menacingly while holding a balloon
Brooke Palmer / ©Warner Bros / courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection

The promotional image was a closeup of Bill in full Pennywise makeup. Half-shrouded in darkness, Bill has a menacing smile on his face, and is glancing up at the camera with orange eyes.


Warner Brothers shared the photo with Entertainment Weekly in July 2016 — more than a year before the movie was released — and sparked an immediate reaction from It fans, with many using this small glimpse into Bill’s Pennywise to share their disappointment in his casting.


The Tim Curry comparisons started almost immediately, and the biggest criticism was that this time around, the clown had been made to look too “evil” instead of just a “regular clown that's out of place.”

“They did a thing that I felt was kind of mean,” Bill said of the studio’s decision to release the image. “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.”

Bill Skarsgard wears a patterned shirt, a tie, and a blazer. They are at an event
Jason Laveris / FilmMagic

And while Esquire adds that Bill was left unable to sleep due to the online insults, the discourse ultimately shifted his mindset as he realized: “You can only make this performance to please yourself.”

Pennywise the Dancing Clown from "IT" is crouched in a dimly lit room with stained glass windows in the background, wearing a vintage clown costume with eerie makeup
Warner Bros / ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

“It unlocked something in me,” he added. “And it gave me the confidence that I can take on any challenge.”


Thankfully, this approach appeared to pay off, with Bill winning critical acclaim for his Pennywise performance once the movie was released.


Meanwhile, on Thursday it was announced that Bill will be reprising the role of Pennywise for Max’s It prequel series, Welcome to Derry, which he will also executive produce. 

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