We already knew Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise the Clown in the IT movie has a very unsettling look. What you might not know, however, is part of the reason the character’s eyes look so strange.
The character’s eyes look in different directions, something that actually isn’t a CGI effect. Bill Skarsgård did that 100% on his own – according to Andy Muschietti:
“I told Bill, ‘I want it in both directions, I want you to send your eyes looking away and give a really unsettling look’. He said, ‘I can do it’, so he did it. What are the chances? It’s one in a million and he was cast already. So even in those moments when his eyes move, it was in. In the storm drain when he goes limp with his eyes looking f**ked up, that’s all him.”
What’s even more creepy about this is that it means Pennywise is actually looking at you, the viewer. Go ahead, cover up his eye that appears to be crossed. That’s right, the character may be in a movie, but he’s looking directly at you.
The cast and crew really went all out with this one, as Skarsgård has said before that it was his intention to scare an entire generation:
“In order for this movie to be as effective as the book and the series, I have to scare a whole generation. My take was that Pennywise functions very simply. Nothing much is going on in terms of what he’s thinking — he’s animalistic and instinctive.”
It was so bad, the actor was haunted by his own performance – after filming was over:
“It’s funny. I went back to Stockholm after we wrapped, and every night for two weeks, I had these strange recurring Pennywise dreams. I was him, but I was in the wrong setting, somehow. I was upset that people could see my face. It was surreal. I can’t explain it.”
IT is currently playing in theaters everywhere with Chapter Two expected to hit theaters September 6th, 2019.