The remake of Stephen King’s IT took movie theaters by storm after its premiere in September. The film’s villain, Pennywise the clown, is back. This time he’s bigger and badder than ever. As a newer film, the makeup and effects used made Pennywise look like something out of your worst nightmares. However, the actor behind the evil clown is anything BUT from your worst nightmares. 27 year old Swedish heartthrob Bill Skarsgard landed the terrifying role of Pennywise. He has previously acted in the film Allegiant and the Netflix original horror series, Hemlock Grove.
Skarsgard’s attractive features were hidden under two and a half hours worth of makeup transformation, according to The New York Times.
While in character, he’s almost wholly unrecognizable, except for his capturing eyes.
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One of the things that make Skarsgard’s performance as the clown so chilling is his creepy smile. The actor had apparently been doing that smile since he was a kid.
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Other than the eyes and the smile, there is barely a trace of the young Swede beneath the costume of the demonic Pennywise. Skarsgard put his own spin on the modernized villain. He told the Times that the role was “by far the most exhausting character I’ve ever done, physically and mentally.” It took him awhile to perfect Pennywise’s raspy and evil-sounding voice.There were no scenes in IT where the clown appeared relaxed. He was always popping in and out of the screen with an electric ferocity that kept Skarsgard on his toes.
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Skarsgard has been no stranger to the acting world. His father Stellan has appeared in films such as Good Will Hunting and The Avengers. It is undeniable that Skarsgard’s role as Pennywise will boost his career. Hollywood should expect to be seeing a lot more of him.
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