‘IT: Welcome to Derry’ Cast Tease Prequel’s Finale and What Makes Pennywise So Terrifying: “They Kept Him Away From Us”

‘IT: Welcome to Derry’ Cast Tease Prequel’s Finale and What Makes Pennywise So Terrifying: “They Kept Him Away From Us” Clara Stack as Lilly Bainbridge holding her books to her chest at her school locker in IT: Welcome to DerryImage via HBO By  Christina Radish Published 1 minute ago Christina Radish is the Senior Entertainment Reporter at Collider. Having worked at Collider for over a decade (since 2009), her primary focus is on film and television interviews with talent both in front of and behind the camera. She is a theme park fanatic, which has lead to covering various land and ride openings at the Disneyland Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood, a lover of all things The Muppets and Fraggle Rock, and a huge music fan, for which she judges life by the time before Pearl Jam and the time after. She is also a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Television Critics Association. Sign in to your Collider account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

[Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for IT: Welcome to Derry.]

Summary

• In 'IT: Welcome to Derry,' Pennywise was kept from the young cast until they needed to film scenes with him, so their terrified reaction was genuine.
• Gruesome set pieces, from the movie theater attack, to Marge's eye sequence, to Ronnie's birthing moment, were intense to film.
• The season, set in 1962, dives into the entity's origins with shocking twists, linking back to the films.

Developed for television by filmmakers Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti and co-showrunner Jason Fuchs, the HBO series IT: Welcome to Derry serves as a prequel to IT and IT Chapter Two as it delves deeper into the origins of the entity that permeates through the quaint town of Derry. Set in 1962, no one is safe from the cycle of fear and terror as it infects and forces everyone in its path to question whether what they’re seeing is real or if it’s the sinister shape-shifter. Having come face-to-face with Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the sewers hasn’t deterred Lilly (Clara Stack) from wanting to use the dagger that was formed to kill the entity, but the rest of the new group of Losers – Will (Blake Cameron James), Rich (Arian S. Cartaya), Ronnie (Amanda Christine) and Marge (Matilda Lawler) – aren’t so keen on that idea. As kids and adults alike are forced to face their traumas, the entity isn’t the only evil lurking in Derry.

During this interview with Collider, co-stars Stack, Christine and Lawler discussed being terrified by Bill Skarsgård when he was on set in the Pennywise costume, shooting the movie theater sequence at the beginning of the season, Marge trying to destroy her own eyes, Ronnie’s gross birthing scene, and how they felt about the way the season plays out.

Pennywise the Clown Terrified the Young Cast of ‘IT: Welcome to Derry’

"You can't prepare for that."

Pennywise in the sewer holding a red balloon with Lilly Bainbridge pictured in it in IT: Welcome to DerryImage via HBO

Collider: What was it like for you guys, the first time that you saw Bill Skarsgård on set as Pennywise? It’s one thing to know what he’s going to look like, but I would imagine it’s very different when you actually see him in person.

MATILDA LAWLER: I definitely was mentally preparing myself to be horrified by Bill, but you’re right, you can’t prepare for that. It’s an entirely unique experience that I cannot describe with any other word, but terror. He’s just so imposing. All the elements combined, with the physical, the costume, the makeup, the wardrobe team is so phenomenal, and the prosthetics team is so phenomenal. It’s also Bill and the energy that he brings. He is a nice guy off set, but when he’s Pennywise, you feel that terror and it is indescribable. It lives with me.

AMANDA CHRISTINE: I agree. It is definitely indescribable. It was definitely very scary to work with Pennywise. They kept him top secret. They kept him away from us until we got to that specific sewer scene. It was really, really cool to meet him and just to experience that with him. He takes the character so seriously and really takes on the role of being Pennywise. He is Pennywise. It was just really cool to experience that and really scary too. That reaction you see is our real reaction.

CLARA STACK: The reaction in the series is our genuine, true reaction to seeing him for the first time. Bill really brings such an incredible energy to set, and he really embodies Pennywise so amazingly. He really brought the fear. He brought the stakes. When we saw him for the first time, we were all shocked and scared, but we were also in awe. Seeing him on screen and seeing him in the movies versus seeing him in person right in front of you with hair and makeup and costume and he’s so tall, it was intimidating, but it was also super cool to see.

Related 'IT: Welcome to Derry' Review: HBO's Stephen King Prequel Doesn't Top the Films' Intense Scares

The latest Stephen King adaptation doesn't live up to what came before.

Posts 1 By  Emma Kiely Oct 22, 2025

Clara and Amanda, what was it like to shoot the movie theater attack? Amanda, your character is a little bit more of an observer in that sequence, but what was it like for the two of you to do that? What was the most challenging part of that whole sequence?

CHRISTINE: Honestly, for me, because I was an observer in the movie theater scene, we filmed it in blocks. Sometimes we filmed together, and then sometimes it was just the kids who were in the theater. That was definitely a different experience, but it was definitely a fun experience because that scene was one of the first big scenes. It got real. Reading the scripts and finding out about that scene was so cool and finding out that Ronnie loves film and she’s a film addict. I had to learn how to put the film into the camera. Learning all of that was really a fun experience. Definitely, the end of episode one was iconic. That scene eats so much. It was really, really fun to film.

STACK: It was definitely so much fun to film. You asked about the challenges of that scene, and one of the things that was really exciting to take on was [blending] the performance and the emotion but also focusing on the blocking. It’s such an action-packed sequence and there’s so much going on with all the kids. So, really getting into a vulnerable place and really feeling that fear while also ducking under seats or climbing over them or running out, was super fun. But honestly, I love that scene, getting drenched in blood and getting to scream. It was honestly a lot of fun.

Clara, that moment with your character standing in the theater lobby just holding the hand that’s been ripped from Susie’s body is going to haunt me. It’s so heartbreaking and horrific.

STACK: It was fun to film, but it’s definitely a shocker. It’s a great end to episode one, that whole last sequence.

Matilda Lawler Breaks Down That Scary Moment When Marge Tries to Hurt Herself in ‘IT: Welcome to Derry’

"I just have so much sympathy for Marge."

Matilda Lawler as Marge in the hospital while Clara Stack as Lilly visits her in IT: Welcome to DerryImage via HBO

Matilda, what was it like for you to do the whole sequence in episode four with Marge and her eyes? Obviously, those aren’t really your eyes, but how was it to find the physicality and emotion of that, as you’re just wrung through it emotionally?

LAWLER: Who says those weren’t my real eyes? No. Imagine that. You’re right, it was trippy. Marge does get wrung through it emotionally in that scene. I just have so much sympathy for Marge, especially as the scene progresses in the woodshop. It was very intense. I lost my voice, screaming as much as I did that week. It was an adventure because I didn’t actually have the eyes coming out of my head, so there were wires for them to CGI on top of. It was basically little tiny wires that I was reacting to, so that was like a fun challenge to figure out what I could do to make that scary for myself. Honestly, the way that our acting coach, Mr. Ben, supported me that day and the way he encouraged me to go for it and encouraged keeping my energy up, and the way that [Clara and Amanda] and all the other kids supported me, walking around with this gory prosthetic on my face [was helpful]. A kid would be like, “Hey, you’re doing a great job today. High five!” And I was like, “Thank you! That’s what I need.” So, as horrific as it was to film and to put myself in those circumstances, I was also surrounded by people who were lifting me up and giving me high fives and making me feel awesome, which was very, very nice.

Related ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Creators Tease a “Very Emotional Ending” That Will Destroy You and a Bigger Three-Season Arc

EPs Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti also talk about that gruesome car ride, the movie theater massacre, and holding back on Pennywise.

Posts By  Christina Radish Oct 31, 2025

Amanda, what was it like to do the scene in the bed with Ronnie drowning in her sheets and then realizing her being birthed from her mother? That was also so horrific, and just gets more and more horrific.

CHRISTINE: Honestly, it was gross. It was really gross. I was covered in goo, 24/7. And then, there’s that white stuff that the baby has, so they had to put that stuff on me and it was so sticky. My skin, for a week straight, was out of it. But it was so much fun to film and do everything, with all the action moves and everything that I had to do, pushing out. I also had to do water training because I’m in the womb. I had to get in water and do breathing, and all this other stuff. It was really, really fun. Andy [Muschietti] made it so much fun for me. After the fifth day, I was not having the goo. I was like, “Okay, when is my scare scene done?” But it was so much fun. I loved it so much.

Clara Stack, Amanda Christine and Matilda Lawler Promise ‘IT: Welcome to Derry’ Is Full of Shocking Moments

"There are so many plot twists within this series."

Things get scarier and scarier for this group of kids as they interact more directly with the entity. Without revealing any spoilers, how did you guys react to learning how the season ends and where your characters end up? How did you feel about the ending of the season?

CLARA: Honestly, reading the scripts, it was just shock after shock after shock. There are so many plot twists within this series that I think are really going to shock the audience. They’re really relevant to the plot and really surprising. And there are so many incredible, horrific and tense sequences throughout this series. I think people watching are just going to be really terrified and really shocked. I’m super excited for everyone to see all the work that we put into it.

LAWLER: I’m excited for people to see the ways that the last few episodes of the series go further into the origins of the entity and connect to both the movies more deeply.

CHRISTINE: The last episodes dive into the origin story, and they get into the books and the movies. So, just stay tuned for everything to come.

Related ‘IT: Welcome to Derry’ Showrunners Promise Answers About Stephen King’s Terrifying Entity: “Evil Will Always Be Here”

Showrunners Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane also talk about how "Stephen King is always putting children in harm’s way."

Posts By  Christina Radish Nov 16, 2025 6 10

It: Welcome to Derry

Like Follow Followed TV-MA Horror Mystery Drama Release Date October 26, 2025 Network HBO Directors Andy Muschietti Writers Jason Fuchs, Stephen King, Austin Guzman Franchise(s) IT 8 Images Dick Hallorann with his eyes wide looking angry in It Welcome to DerryBill Skarsgard's Pennywise in IT Welcome to Derry trailer 2Image courtesy of HBO MaxKid similing in IT Welcome To DerryImage via HBO MaxIt: Welcome to Derry teens looking surprised at something off screenImage via HBOClose

Cast

See All

• Taylour Paige Charlotte Hanlon
• Jovan Adepo Leroy Hanlon

Genres Horror, Mystery, Drama Creator(s) Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Jason Fuchs Seasons 1 Powered by Expand Collapse

IT: Welcome to Derry airs on HBO and is available to stream on HBO Max. Check out the trailer:

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