You’ve seen the lazy eye. You've heard that high-pitched, warbling giggle that sounds like a radiator dying in an abandoned house. It's weird to think about now, but back in 2016, people were genuinely skeptical that anyone could follow Tim Curry’s iconic 1990 performance. Then came the first leaked image of the new IT.
Bill Skarsgård, the Swedish actor who played Pennywise in the 2017 and 2019 film adaptations, didn't just put on some face paint and a ruff collar. He basically rebuilt the monster from the ground up using nothing but his own strangely double-jointed anatomy and a terrifyingly deep understanding of Stephen King’s source material.
The Audition That Changed Everything
Most actors show up to auditions in a t-shirt and jeans, maybe carrying a script. Bill Skarsgård showed up with a face full of clown makeup he’d applied himself. He spent the car ride to the studio practicing a smile that shouldn't be physically possible.
Honestly, the producers were blown away. Director Andy Muschietti wasn’t looking for a man in a suit; he wanted something that felt alien. Skarsgård delivered. He has this thing called "lazy eye" (strabismus) that he can control at will. During filming, when you see Pennywise’s eyes pointing in two different directions—one looking at the camera and the other looking at a child—that isn't CGI. That's just Bill.
It’s creepy. It’s effective. It saved the production thousands in post-production effects.
✨ Don't miss: Deadpool and Wolverine How to Watch: Every Way to Stream the Merc and the Mutant Right Now
More Than Just a Famous Last Name
If the name Skarsgård sounds familiar, it should. Bill is part of a Swedish acting dynasty. His father is Stellan Skarsgård, the guy you know from Good Will Hunting and Chernobyl. His brothers? Alexander (True Blood, The Northman) and Gustaf (Vikings).
But Bill wanted his own lane.
Playing the actor who played Pennywise meant stepping out of the "leading man" shadow his brothers often occupy. He leaned into the grotesque. He studied hyenas and grizzly bears to get the movement right. He noticed how a predator's mouth hangs open before it strikes, and he incorporated that "drooling" look into the character's design. It wasn't just about being scary; it was about being a biological nightmare.
The Physical Toll of Being Pennywise
Let's talk about the suit. It wasn't comfortable. It was a tight, antique-style Victorian garment that restricted his movement and made him sweat through hours of prosthetics application.
👉 See also: Mortal Kombat Cast 1995: Why That Specific Group Still Wins
Every morning started with four hours in the makeup chair.
- First, the silicone appliances to change his head shape.
- Then, the thick white greasepaint that cracks and peels.
- Finally, the hand-painted details and the yellow contact lenses.
By the time he stepped on set, he wasn't Bill anymore. He was a 200-year-old interdimensional entity that feeds on fear. The kids on set—the Losers' Club—were actually kept away from him during rehearsals. Muschietti wanted their first reaction to him to be genuine. When Bill finally walked out in full gear for the first scene, some of the younger actors were legitimately shaken. He's 6'4". In the suit and the boots, he's a towering, vibrating mass of lace and teeth.
Redefining the "Scary Clown" Trope
Tim Curry’s Pennywise was a Brooklyn cab driver from hell. He was funny, sarcastic, and grounded. Skarsgård went the opposite way. His version is "off." He speaks with a strange, breathless cadence, like he’s still learning how to use human lungs.
This was a calculated risk.
If he’d tried to copy Curry, he would’ve failed. Instead, he looked at the book. In King's novel, IT isn't a clown. IT is a nameless cosmic horror that just happens to find a clown disguise effective for luring children. Skarsgård played the disguise, not the clown. You can see the cracks in the persona. You can see the hunger behind the eyes. It’s why the performance feels so much more visceral and modern.
💡 You might also like: Team Knight Rider Cast: Why This 90s Spin-Off Still Matters
The Smile and the Drool
One of the most discussed parts of the performance is the "lip thing." Skarsgård can fold his bottom lip down in a way that reveals his bottom teeth and gums, creating a jagged, unsettling grin. He didn't need prosthetics for that either.
He also decided that Pennywise should be constantly salivating. The idea was that the monster is so hungry, so excited by the prospect of eating, that it literally cannot contain its spit. It sounds gross because it is. But in a horror movie, that kind of specific, physical detail is what separates a generic villain from a cinematic icon.
Why We Are Still Talking About Him in 2026
The horror genre moves fast. Usually, a monster is forgotten by the time the sequel hits streaming. But the actor who played Pennywise managed to create a performance that stuck.
Since IT, Skarsgård has become the go-to guy for "weird and unsettling." He played a mysterious prisoner in Castle Rock, a terrifying villain in John Wick: Chapter 4, and he’s taking on the mantle of Nosferatu in Robert Eggers' remake. He has carved out a niche as the premier physical actor of his generation. He uses his body as a tool, much like Doug Jones or Andy Serkis, but with the added weight of a prestige dramatic actor.
Breaking the "Horror Curse"
Often, actors who play masked monsters get "typecast" or simply disappear. Skarsgård avoided this by being incredibly picky. He didn't just do every horror script that landed on his desk. He looked for roles that allowed him to use that same transformative energy—whether he's playing a silent killer or a suave European hitman.
Actionable Takeaways for Horror Fans and Aspiring Actors
If you're looking to understand why this performance worked so well, or if you're interested in the craft of creature acting, there are a few specific things to watch for next time you've got IT on your screen:
- Watch the breath work. Notice how Skarsgård uses hyperventilation to make Pennywise feel "overcharged" with energy.
- Look at the stillness. The scariest moments aren't when he's screaming; they're when he's perfectly still, staring with those misaligned eyes.
- The Voice. He uses a "breaking" voice that jumps between registers. It makes the character feel unstable, like an animal trying to imitate a person.
To truly appreciate the transformation, watch an interview with Bill Skarsgård right after watching a scene from IT. The contrast is jarring. He's soft-spoken, thoughtful, and looks nothing like the creature under the sewer. That is the hallmark of a master at work.
For those diving deeper into the lore, check out the behind-the-scenes features on the IT: Chapter One Blu-ray. Seeing him work through the movement tests in a motion-capture suit without the makeup proves that the "scary" part wasn't the costume—it was the man inside it. Keep an eye on his upcoming work in Nosferatu; all signs point to him using these same unsettling physical techniques to redefine another classic monster for a new era.