IT: Chapter Two Star Reveals How Pennywise Has Changed Since the Last Film

In Stephen King‘s novel IT, a mysterious entity terrorizes the town of Derry, Maine every 27 years, feasting upon the fear of children who live in the community. A group of young friends, calling themselves “The Losers’ Club,” seemingly vanquish the threat, only to have to band together as adults to confront the being once and for all. In director Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of the book, the first film depicted the earlier timeline while IT: Chapter Two will focus on the adult reunion. Bill Skarsgard, who plays the being manifested as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, recently teased how the nefarious creature has changed after 27 years.

“He’s been doing this forever really, so he doesn’t change in the sense that you would look differently,” Skarsgard revealed to Entertainment Weekly. “He looks however he wants to look for any particular prey at the time, but I do think there’s a change.”

While he might not have gone through a drastic physical change, except for the injuries he suffered at the hands of the Losers’ Club, he has emotionally changed, having now experienced the fear that he has been inflicting on others.

“The arc of the first movie is that he, for the first time, experiences fear himself,” Skarsgard noted. “His last line — ‘Fear…’ — is him experiencing it for the first time, and he’s sort of shocked and perplexed and surprised. Like, what is this?”

Having gone undiscovered for centuries, the entity has never had anything to fear. Not only did his encounters with the Losers’ Club alter his own emotional state, but also impacted how he can more effectively terrorize his victims.

“He’s inflicted fear on his prey, and he’s very focused on fear, but he’s never experienced it himself,” the actor noted. “Now he’s experienced something that he has been inflicting on others and … there’s a shift leading into the second movie.”

The villain hasn’t just discovered that it was vulnerable, but also has an even stronger desire to invoke even more fear in those who fought back against him.

“It fuels hatred and anger towards the kids, who will be adults in this one, so I think there might be an even more vicious Pennywise,” Skarsgard confessed. “He’s really going after it.”

IT: Chapter Two lands in theaters on September 6th.

Are you looking forward to seeing how the villain has changed? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

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