Bill Skarsgard Teases ‘Castle Rock’ Character’s ‘Mythological Connection’ to Stephen King Novel

Bill Skarsgård can already picture the Castle Rock fan forums trying to decipher his mysterious character’s connection to the works of Stephen King, he revealed to reporters at a San Diego Comic-Con roundtable Friday.

The J.J. Abrams-produced psychological horror series, premiering on Hulu on July 25, is a King fan’s dream come true, fitting new characters into the multiverse of works the prolific author has penned. Skarsgård, who also plays Pennywise in the IT reboot, is taking on the role of The Kid in the new series, a feral inmate found in the depths of Shawshank State Penitentiary.

Skarsgård wouldn’t reveal if The Kid is man or monster, but teased that the mystery is “a strange one,” adding, “I can say it’s probably not what you would expect.”

The Kid is an original character, but has a “mythological connection” to one of King’s works, he added.

“I like horror, I like the world of horror,” he explained of his work on IT and Castle Rock. “There’s a lot of really fun characters, there’s big characters, or bold, or it’s usually pretty heavy dark things. And this character was so mysterious that it was fun to play.”

He prepared for the role by watching documentaries and reading articles about the effects of solitary confinement, including the social signalling that is frequently lost from people who experience prolonged solitude.

“I wanted to make a performance where the audience goes, ‘What’s going on? What’s he thinking about?’ He’s hard to read.”

As for The Kid’s intentions in Castle Rock, Skarsgård won’t spill on if fans should be rooting for him to succeed.

“I think that was something that I wanted to sort of have that balance of the audience feeling ambivalent about who he is and what’s his agenda or maybe I feel sorry for this guy, or maybe he’s up to something really, really bad.”

He teased, “After all, it’s the Stephen King universe. Things tend to work out pretty badly in the town of Castle Rock.”

Castle Rock will debut with three episodes on July 25 on Hulu.

Photo credit: Hulu