IT: Welcome to Derry Cast Guide: Every Stephen King Character & Who Plays Them Explained

HBO has welcomed us back to the world of Stephen King’s IT in new horror series IT: Welcome to Derry. The TV show is set 27 years before the events of IT: Chapter One, serving as a prequel that charts more of the Maine town’s dark past, and its horrifying history with the entity It, aka Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Many of the creatives from those films are back for the series, including director Andy Muschietti and producers Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs, though it’s largely telling its own story.

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Whereas IT: Chapter One and Chapter Two were about the same members of the Losers Club, Welcome to Derry is mostly focused on a new set of characters, many of whom were created for the show. However, it does also feature some key players from the world of Stephen King. That includes those from the novel IT, as well as one more known from his wider universe. The cast follows a similar pattern, with lots of unknowns among the younger actors, but also some well-established names.

Jovan Adepo as Leroy Hanlon

Jovan Adepo as Major Leroy Halon in IT Welcome to Derry — Image courtesy of HBO

Leroy Hanlon comes into Derry as a Major in the Air Force who previously served in Korea, moving to a new base in the area while awaiting his family to join him. The name Hanlon will immediately be familiar to any IT fans, and for good reason: Leroy is the grandfather of Losers Club member Mike Hanlon, and very briefly appeared in Chapter One, trying to teach Mike how to put down an animal on his farm. Jovan Adepo is no stranger to HBO, having played Hooded Justice in Watchmen, nor is he a stranger to Stephen King, after starring as Larry Underwood in The Stand miniseries.

Blake Cameron James as Will Hanlon

Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo) with his son, Will, in IT Welcome To Derry

Another member of the Hanlon family lifted straight from the pages of King’s book is Will, who is the father of Mike. With IT: Welcome to Derry‘s timeline beginning in 1962, however, Will is just a young boy himself, who moves to Derry with his parents. It appears as though some of Will’s backstory from the book, where he served in the Air Force and frequented The Black Spot (a nightclub that will form a dark part of this story), is instead being given to Leroy for the show. Black Cameron James’ credits include the TV show Found.

Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Dancing Clown in cover for ComicBook review of IT Welcome to Derry

Chris Chalk as Dick Hallorann

Dick Hallorann is one of the most notable Stephen King characters in IT: Welcome to Derry. In the show, he initially appears at the Air Force base where Leroy moves to, but he has a much deeper history than that. In the novel IT, Hallorann is one of the founders of the aforementioned Black Spot, which primarily caters to Black customers. But he’s better known for his role in The Shining, where he is the head chef at the Overlook Hotel, and possesses the same “shining” ability as Danny Torrence. He later returned in Doctor Sleep. Chris Chalk played Lucius Fox in Gotham, and Gary Cooper in The Newsroom.

Bill Skarsgård as It/Pennywise

Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Dancing Clown in IT Welcome to Derry — Image courtesy of HBO

Six years after being defeated by the Losers, Pennywise the Dancing Clown – and some other forms of It – are back to terrify us and the children of Derry once again. Although he’s not in the early episodes, Skarsgård (who also has an executive producer credit) is once again holding the red balloon and promising to make people float too in IT: Welcome to Derry. It attacks the town every 27 years, which is exactly the time between Welcome to Derry and IT: Chapter One. Aside from Pennywise, Skarsgård’s most notable roles include Count Orlok in Nosferatu, Boy in Boy Meets World, and Marquis Vincent de Gramont in John Wick: Chapter 4.

Who Else Makes Up It: Welcome To Derry’s Main Cast & Characters

Mikkal Karim Fidler as Teddy, Clara Stack as Lilly, Jack Molloy Legault as Phil, and Susie in IT Welcome to Derry — Image courtesy of HBO

Taylour Paige as Charlotte Hanlon: Charlotte is the wife of Leroy and mother to Mike. She’s a character with a strong sense of social justice, and an activist, who begins to realize just how off something is in Derry. Paige starred in the movie Zola, and appeared in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Ma’ Rainey’s Black Bottom, and the TV show Hit the Floor.

James Remar as General Shaw: Leroy’s new boss and the man in charge at the base in Derry. Just some of Remar’s most notable roles include Ajax in The Warriors, Albert Ganz in 48 Hrs., and Harry Morgan in Dexter and Dexter: Resurrection.

Stephen Rider as Hank Grogan: Hank works at the Capitol Theater in Derry, and is questioned over the disappearance of Matty Clements, having been one of the last people to see him. Rider played Blake Tower in the Netflix Marvel shows Daredevil and Luke Cage.

Miles Ekhardt as Matty Clements: The kid whose disappearance starts the entire story, Matty is a runaway who is taken into the sewers of Derry by It. Ekhardt made his acting debut in Turtles All the Way Down.

Clara Stack as Lilly Bainbridge: Cruelly nicknamed “Loony,” having spent time in the asylum Juniper Hill, Lilly is one of the main kids in Welcome to Derry. She lost her father, and has visions of Matty reaching out to her from the sewers, which prompts her to lead the search to find him. Stack previously played young(er) Kate Bishop in Hawkeye.

Matilda Lawler as Marge: Lilly’s only friend at school who sticks by her when she’s being bullied. Lawler has appeared in other HBO series such as The Gilded Age (as Frances Montgomery) and Station Eleven (as young Kirsten).