Pennywise is not a serious being at all. And I mean that in the absolute best way. He’s been clowning around all season in Welcome to Derry, even though we didn’t see him properly until episode 5. Even then, showing his terrifying form to scared children while swinging on a pole like a baddie was hilarious to me. At the end of episode seven, Pennywise is fully on the loose and he makes a house call to poor Will Hanlon. It’s a chilling moment for sure, but this Welcome to Derry behind the scenes video clip showing Pennywise in a hoodie makes it feel more playful.
In the final scene of that episode, Will is home alone when the phone rings. At first, he thinks that it is Ronnie Grogan. She starts to talk about Rich and what it was like to find his body. But her voice becomes distorted and the conversation takes a sinister turn. Will recognizes that it is the clown reaching out to him and becomes terrified. And boy does he have a reason to be considering Pennywise is right behind him and quickly hits him with the deadlight.
We get to see how this scene came to life, thanks to a behind the scenes clip featuring all three Welcome to Derry actors. Amanda Christine (Ronnie) sits beside Bill Skarsgård (Pennywise/IT) as they record their lines with a microphone hovering over their head. The other side of the split screen shows Blake Cameron James (Will) filming with the phone. The clip eventually shows Skarsgård jumping at Will and towards the camera. You can even hear the director chuckle a bit before yelling cut.
But, one of the funniest parts about this clip is Pennywise wearing a hoodie. It’s nothing special, just a basic grey top. However, it is quite weird to see Skarsgård in full Pennywise makeup and using the voice while wearing something so casual. I guess he needs a break from that full clown costume sometime. Either way, it’s always cool to see how shows and films are made, especially one as wild as Welcome to Derry.