IT CHAPTER TWO Star Explains the Film’s De-Aging Process

IT CHAPTER TWO was released earlier this month and followed the kids from Derry as they return home 27 years after the events of IT to face the monster one more time. The movie features the addition of an adult cast as well as the return of the kids from the first film, which includes Stranger Things star, Finn Wolfhard, who plays Richie Tozier. The scenes featuring the kids in the new film take place during the same time as the first movie, which means many of the young actors needed to be de-aged. Wolfhard recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the process.

“They did de-age us with CGI, which is already crazy, but I didn’t do any scenes where they put dots on me,” Wolfhard explained. “They must have done it with no dots. Barbara Muschietti, who’s [director] Andy’s [Muschietti] amazing sister and main producer, was describing how they basically softened the face. They soften your features until you look the way you did. I thought that was interesting, and it looked pretty cool.”

Wolfhard went on to explain how this differed from filming Stranger Things.

“With Stranger Things, it’s kind of a Harry Potter effect where it takes place every year, and you’re checking in with these characters. This one was very different because it takes place over flashbacks, and it’s a very specific time that we’ve seen already. Andy, who’s a visual artist and illustrator, really saw that in his head; it drove him crazy if we looked older.”

“Some of it I ADR-ed, and they just pitched it up,” he explained of his voice change. “They didn’t have to pitch Jaeden [Martell], Sophia [Lillis] or Chosen’s [Jacobs] voice up. They might’ve done Chosen’s a little bit. Jack [Dylan Grazer] is way taller, and his voice is way deeper; Jeremy [Ray Taylor] also. His face has completely changed. All of us did a full body scan, essentially, and that’s how they did that VFX stuff.”

Earlier this month, Wolfhard shared a photo of himself trying on an old costume, and it was pretty clear just how much he’s grown since filming IT.

IT CHAPTER TWO is now playing in theaters everywhere.