Meet the cast of IT: Welcome to Derry 

Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise The Clown (Courtesy: Brooke Palmer/HBO)
Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise The Clown (Courtesy: Brooke Palmer/HBO)

IT: Welcome to Derry is set in the Stephen King universe and serves as a prequel to the two films directed by Andy Muschietti. This terrifying TV series will premiere on October 26 on HBO and HBO Max.

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Sportskeeda was invited to be a part of several roundtable discussions with various members of the cast and crew behind IT: Welcome to Derry. Naturally, we had to ask the cast why people are afraid of clowns, especially considering that Pennywise the Clown is the terrifying antagonist of the movies and the book.

James Remar, who plays General Shaw in IT: Welcome to Derry, is no stranger to television's darker subject matters, having portrayed Harry Morgan on Dexter. He shared his thoughts on the subject and said:

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"Clowns can be very creepy. And the whole thing of them, you know, drawing little kids in because they seem funny and safe and then they eat them, doesn’t seem that far from the truth. That’s why clowns are creepy."

Kimberly Guerrero of Seinfeld and Grey's Anatomy fame plays Rose in IT: Welcome to Derry. We asked her about what makes clowns so very terrifying, and she said:

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"I think for me there’s something that’s just instinctively, like where did they come from? And why did it become a thing. Because for me, instinctively, as a little person, looking at adults for leadership and safety and protection. It’s like when I see a grown man with his face painted, a smile painted on it, whether he’s smiling or not, I’m like no thank you. That is not good. Stay far away. Just something fundamentally wrong about it."
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Both Remar and Guerrero are huge Stephen King fans. Remar elaborated upon what makes the architect of the IT: Welcome to Derry world so very special:

"Definitely a Stephen King fan. For many, many years. I find him to be a profound writer. Not pulp fiction or any of that. I think he’s profound."

How much do the cast of IT: Welcome to Derry have in common with their characters?

Stephen Rider (Daredevil) plays Hank in IT: Welcome to Derry. We asked him what he has in common with his character.

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"Humanity. Love for family. Wanting to be the best that you can," he said.

Certainly, humanity exists at the very core of much of Stephen King's work. When we asked Chris Chalk (Perry Mason, Gotham) to talk about similarities with his character, Dick Hallorann, who is also a character prominently featured in Stephen King's magnum opus, The Shining, he said the following:

"What I have in common with Dick is I’m very protective of the people I love. And I keep that at a very thin list. (Laughs). So, I’m good at isolating myself from the world, just like Dick."
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And to cap things off, Sportskeeda asked James Remar how similar Pennywise is to Dexter, considering their 'instincts.' Remar stated:

"Pennywise, his code is purely based on need. He doesn't have a moralistic code"

Stay tuned for more interactions with the crew behind IT: Welcome to Derry. How excited are you about the HBO original? Let us know in the comments below.

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Edited by Shreya Das
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