The Kids of IT Were Kept From Seeing Pennywise Until They Shot The Projector Scene to Get a Pure Reaction of Terror
We've all heard the story of how Steven Spielberg purposely didn't show the young cast of Goonies One-Eyed Willy's pirate ship until the day they shot the scene where they slid through the tunnels and into the water. When they popped up out of the water, that was the first time they had seen the ship. The reaction of surprise and wonder on their faces was real and pure.
Well, director Andy Muschietti wanted the same kind of pure reaction from the kids who starred in IT when they first see Pennywise the Clown. Only he wasn't going for awe and wonder. No. He was looking for that real and pure fear and terror!
A new featurette for the film was released below and it focuses on Bill Skarsgard‘s unpredictable performance in the new film adaptation of Stephen King's IT. The filmmakers explain how they kept the kids from seeing Skarsgard's Pennywise The Clown, until the day that they shot the terrifying projector scene. The look of terror on those kid's faces are real, and many of them talk about what their experiences were like working with Skarsgard on the film. They never knew what he was going to do and it freaked them out!
Skarsgard was freakin' awesome as Pennywise! I couldn't have asked for a better actor to take on the role. Hell, he even got King's seal of approval.