Jaeden Lieberher, Jackson Robert Scott, and Sophia Lillis were thrust into the spotlight last year when they appeared in the 2017 adaptation of Stephen King’s IT. Jaeden played Bill Denbrough, the stuttering brother of Jackson’s Georgie. Georgie’s disappearance sets up the events that Bill and the rest of the Losers Club have to face as the story unfolds. Beverly Marsh, played by Sophia Lillis, gets involved and the rest is history from there. It was released on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD on January 9, 2018.
Screen Rant got a chance to interview Jackson Robert Scott, Jaeden Lieberher, and Sophia Lillis on press day, where we discussed which extra feature on the DVD they are most excited about, which member of the Losers Club they think they relate to the most, and how they reacted to Bill Skarsgard’s Pennywise during scenes.
SR: When I was a kid I used to go to the video store and get the V.H.S. and that's before your time, the V.H.S., the two-disc V.H.S., now I get Blu-ray release and now I get all the extras, which we didn't have when I was a kid, so which extra feature you guys most excited about and have you seen the all eleven deleted scenes?
Jackson Robert Scott: No.
Jaeden Lieberher: No. Hopefully, we will though. I hope so. No, we haven't seen them but we're excited too. We're excited as everyone else is.
SR: Obviously, the two (Jaeden Lieberher and Sophia Lillis) of you're part of the losers club, and yourself (Jackson Robert Scott), being a little brother to someone in the Loser's Clubs, if you as yourself, which member of the losers club do you think you would be based on your personality?
Sophia Lillis: I was going to say, um, you go first. I'm still thinking.
Jackson Robert Scott: I feel like. I would be a Ben. I think I'd be a Ben because I'm a bit of A loner but yeah, and a nerd a little bit too. I like to read. Yeah, I'd be a Ben.
SR: How about yourself, Jackson?
Jackson Robert Scott: I don't know maybe, a Jake?
Jaeden Lieberher: Who?
Sophia Lillis: Who?
Jackson Robert Scott: I don't know. (Laughs)
SR: Maybe like Bill your brother, possibly?
Jackson Robert Scott: Yeah.
SR: Okay.
Jackson Robert Scott: Maybe like growing up...
Sophia Lillis: Did you mean like, Jake Sim? (Belch Huggins in the movie)
Jackson Robert Scott: Yeah.
Sophia Lillis: Like one of the bullies? (Laughs)
Jaeden Lieberher: He's one of the bullies.
Jackson Robert Scott: Yeah.
Sophia Lillis: That's why I got confused.
Jaeden Lieberher: But he's one of the best people in real life.
Sophia Lillis: He is one of the best people in real life.
SR: How about you Sophia?
Sophia Lillis: I have to say, Stanley.
SR: Really?
Sophia Lillis: Because I don't know.
Jaeden Lieberher: Really?
Sophia Lillis: Yeah. He's he's he's basically kind of like a bystander in the group. Like whenever all the kids get into trouble or just he's just there. (Laughs)
SR: When you guys shot with Bill being Pennywise, was he with you guys on set or did they keep them kind of separate?
Sophia Lillis: Kept him separate.
Jackson Robert Scott: Separate.
Jaeden Lieberher: He was always separated from us. He has own little tent and we didn't see him for like the first month of shooting.
SR: I've now heard that you guys didn't think it was going to be scary working with him but I heard that you guys are actually terrified some points. I heard that you (Jackson Robert Scott) handled it like a champion. You were pretty good with it. How was that? How was it seeing him? Was really like fun or scary stories that you guys have about seeing Bill?
Jaeden Lieberher: Well, I mean, you know, it is scary being around him because it is just kind of it's awkward because he's not a real human being with that make up on, you know? He's just, everything about him is abnormal and the proportions are off, and so it's just interesting. It's like being next to a cartoon character just feel strange. Kind of scary.
Sophia Lillis: I thought it was hilarious. It was really funny meeting seeing him for the first time because his whole clown costume and he was just talking normally, saying, "hi, how is your day?" I laughed hysterically when I first saw him and I don't think he could see me at first because of his contacts. Like he couldn't see much through it so he didn't see me laughing hysterically, but uh, I was.
SR: What about you (Jackson)? You had some interesting scenes with him.
Jackson Robert Scott: Oh yeah. One of my favorite scenes I would have to say with him when I saw him, I was a little bit scared because I didn't' know what he was going to look like. I mean, I imagine it in my head but when I saw him, it didn't turn out anything like what I imagine. It was it was kind of scary for me because you never know what he's going to look like they might do something then the other.. but my favorite scene in the film would have to be, actually, it would have to be that the part when my arm gets ripped off (Laughing).
SR: Fair enough. Okay. With the sequel coming out where would you like to personally see your characters go. Obviously, the books have a defined direction where they go but where would you like to see them go? Your character is missing an arm and somewhere down the sewer.
Jackson Robert Scott: Yes.
SR: Where would you guys like to see your characters go?
Jaeden Lieberher: You mean as in...?
SR: As you, yourself. Where would you want to see them go?
Jaeden Lieberher: I don't know. I think the way Stephen King intended it to be is the right way to go. where I think Bill is, well, everyone outside of Derry kind of becomes successful and have gone on the right path and I think that's an interesting part and my character's a writer has an actress wife but then kind of goes down and into a downward spiral twenty-seven years later.
Sophia Lillis: Same as my character. She just started out very roughly but towards the end, she gets she's happier and I guess that's the best for my character, so yeah! I go for that completely.
SR: Do you guys know if there are any Easter eggs that you guys were able to catch on set that we'd be able to see in this release on home video?
Jackson Robert Scott: If you can see on the trailer when I when I'm running with my boat, you can see Jackson Street. My name's Jackson so they actually turned it around as a little easter egg and in that scene, you can see it, so that was one of the Easter eggs.
Sophia Lillis: Isn't there like multiple times you see Pennywise?
Jaeden Lieberher: Oh yeah. There's a...
Sophia Lillis: Mural and you know there's...
Jaeden Lieberher: I think everyone notices that or I hope so. But in the clown room with Richie there is a little. Bit of a clown doll.
Jackson Robert Scott: It's a 1980's...
Jaeden Lieberher: A Tim Curry version of Pennywise.
SR: I think I noticed that. I was like was that Tim Curry's Pennywise. Interesting. Now, one of my favorite scenes actually happens in Bev's bathroom and it with the whole blood and stuff. How was that shot?
Sophia Lillis: Yeah. It was fun. I enjoyed it. It took multiple days. They had to have a stunt double to the impact scene because the impact was a little too hard. Also they had a little trouble trying to get the blood out so it took a few days but it ended up pretty well I think, and they did that here
Jaeden Lieberher: And they did that hair in reverse, right?
Sophia Lillis: Then we did that hair scene which was long. It was very very long but I really like how they did it. They had to put everything in rewind and kind of like instead putting.. it looks like the hair is coming up, it's actually me trying to get out of the hair.
Stay Tuned for More IT Coverage!
IT is now available on Blu-ray