If you saw a guy in a gray hoodie walking down a street in Stockholm, you probably wouldn't run away screaming. But then Bill Skarsgård does that thing with his face. You know the one. That unsettling, bottom-heavy grin that made 2017’s IT an instant nightmare for a new generation. Honestly, when I first saw the trailer, I assumed it was all clever prosthetics and maybe a little digital smoothing.
I was wrong.
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The bill skarsgard pennywise smile is almost entirely natural. It’s a physical feat that feels like it shouldn't be possible for a human face. While most of us are out here trying to look decent in a selfie, Skarsgård has mastered the art of looking like a predatory animal that just found its lunch.
The Weird Family Secret Behind the Lip
It turns out that being creepy is apparently a genetic trait in the Skarsgård household. Bill didn't just invent this look for the movie. He’s been scaring people with it since he was about ten years old.
He actually picked it up from his older brother, Gustaf Skarsgård (you probably know him as Floki from Vikings). Gustaf had this weird ability to point his lower lip in a very specific, downward way. Bill, being the younger brother, decided he had to learn how to do it too.
Basically, he’d pull his shirt over his head, leave just his face peeking out, and chase his younger brother around the house. He even had a name for the "character" back then: Yodigan. Imagine being a kid and having Pennywise—without the makeup—chasing you down the hallway. Total trauma.
How the Bill Skarsgard Pennywise Smile Actually Works
So, how do you actually do it? If you try it in the mirror right now, you’ll probably just look like you’re pouting. It’s not a normal smile where the corners of your mouth go up.
Instead, Bill drops his lower lip and pushes it outward and downward, forming a sort of "V" shape. It exposes the lower teeth in a way that mimics a hyena or a grizzly bear. In interviews with Stephen Colbert and Conan O'Brien, he’s explained that he looks at nature documentaries for inspiration. He wanted Pennywise to feel less like a man in a suit and more like an "it"—an entity that doesn't quite understand how a human face is supposed to work.
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There are three main components to the look:
- The Lip Droop: The lower lip has to hang heavy while the corners of the mouth stay relatively neutral or slightly upturned.
- The Dead Stare: While the mouth is doing something chaotic, the eyes remain fixated.
- The Independent Eye Movement: This is the part that really messes with people. Bill can actually make one eye wander or "drift" while the other stays centered.
Director Andy Muschietti originally told Bill they could fix the eyes with CGI in post-production. Bill’s response? "I can do it." He just did it on the spot. It saved the production money, sure, but it also made the performance feel way more visceral because the actors on set were actually seeing those eyes move independently.
Why It’s Not Just About the Makeup
The makeup definitely helps—the red lines that connect the corners of the mouth to the eyes are iconic. But if you watch behind-the-scenes footage of Bill in the makeup chair, he’s doing the bill skarsgard pennywise smile before the paint is even dry.
It’s about the tension.
He’s not just moving his face; he’s engaging his whole body. He describes the character as being "explosive." One second he’s a static, creepy statue, and the next, he’s vibrating with this weird, nervous energy. The drool is a big part of it, too. Because his lip is hanging so low, he can't actually swallow properly while in character. The result is that gross, stringy spit that makes the sewer scenes so much harder to watch.
The "Uncanny Valley" Effect
The reason this specific smile works so well is that it hits the "uncanny valley." That's the point where something looks almost human, but there's something just "off" enough to trigger a flight-or-fight response in our brains.
Most movie monsters use masks or heavy CGI. With Bill, you’re looking at a real person’s anatomy being distorted. We know, subconsciously, that a face isn't supposed to move like that. That’s why his performance feels so much more invasive than a generic jump scare. It’s why people were still talking about it years after the first movie came out.
How to Tell if You Can Do It
If you’re sitting there trying to mimic the bill skarsgard pennywise smile, don’t be surprised if you can’t. According to Bill, about 80% of his family can do it, which suggests there’s a specific muscle control or even a bit of luck in how your facial nerves are wired.
Try this:
- Relax your jaw completely.
- Try to pull only your bottom lip down toward your chin without opening your mouth wide.
- Look up slightly while keeping your chin tucked.
If you can see the "lupine" points of your teeth and your lip looks like it's melting, congrats—you’re officially terrifying. If not, don't sweat it. Most people can't. Even Stephen Colbert, who gave it a solid effort on national TV, couldn't quite capture the "I’m going to eat your fears" energy that Bill brings to the table.
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Actionable Steps for Your Next Rewatch
If you want to appreciate the technical skill behind the performance, watch IT (2017) or IT Chapter Two again, but ignore the red balloons and the music. Focus entirely on Bill’s lower jaw.
- Look for the "Lazy Eye": In the scene where Pennywise talks to Georgie at the storm drain, watch his left eye. It starts to drift toward the camera while the right eye stays on the kid. That’s all Bill.
- Notice the Silence: The most effective uses of the smile aren't when he’s screaming. It’s when he’s just standing there, perfectly still, letting the audience process how wrong his face looks.
- Check the Lip Tension: You can see him manually "resetting" his face between takes in some of the leaked set footage. The amount of muscle fatigue from holding that pose for hours is probably insane.
The takeaway here is that Bill Skarsgård didn't just show up and put on a costume. He brought a weird, childhood party trick and turned it into one of the most recognizable horror faces in cinema history. It’s a masterclass in using what you’ve got—even if what you’ve got is a really, really creepy lip.
Next time you see a Skarsgård on screen, just remember: they're probably holding back a nightmare.