When filmmaker Andy Muschietti decided to tackle a brand-new adaptation of Stephen King’s It, everyone knew they were going to be in for something special. Muschietti, who directed 2013’s Mama and is slated to direct DC’s The Flash, wanted to bring something new and original to the story of It, and he absolutely succeeded.
His greatest successes aren’t just on the screen, however; they’re also behind the scenes, in some of the greatest off-screen fun facts you didn’t know about the creation and filming of both It and its recently-released sequel, It: Chapter Two.
The Actors Did Their Own Stunts (Mostly)
For the most part, the actors in It did their own stunts, especially the adult actors in It: Chapter Two. A lot of the stunts are a little bit easier to pull off, and so the actors are capable of performing them themselves.
Still, there’s an element of danger involved. In fact, actor Bill Hader, who plays the adult Richie Tozier in It: Chapter Two, actually suffered minor injury while doing his own stunts will filing. Tragically, he informed everyone, he pulled his groin muscle. Sometimes, it’s harder to escape killer space clowns then you’d think! At least he didn’t actually end up in the sewers.
Mrs. Kersh Was (Nearly) Real
Fans of It were excited when the trailers and teaser clips for It: Chapter Two were dropped ahead of its September 2019 release, especially when a new character named Mrs. Kersh was shown. Mrs. Kersh, played by Joan Gregson, was terrifying in the promotional material, and just as terrifying as promised in the movie itself.
There’s a horrifying moment where she freezes, unmoving, just staring at Beverly Marsh (played by Jessica Chastain) who has come to visit her childhood home. As it turns out, that terrifying moment was 100% real: actress Joan Gregson actually froze that entire time. Horribly scary and well-done!
Pennywise’s Eyes are Real, Too
Watching any iteration of Pennywise the Dancing Clown—be it Tim Curry or Bill Skarsgård—is guaranteed terror for most audience members. However, many assume that a lot of the more terrifying aspects of Pennywise are added in post-production.
This is not true for Pennywise’s horrible rolling, separating eyes in It: Chapter One and It: Chapter Two. He has golden yellow eyes that spin apart and drift while he speaks, and, quite frankly, it’s scary as heck. Even Bill Hader assumed it was done in post-production and was just as upset as we were to find out that that’s actually a skill of Bill Skarsgård’s, and those are his real eyes rolling around in his head. That scared Bill Hader, and it scared us, too!
More Gallons Than Ever
Everyone remembers the famous scene in The Shining, another Stephen King adaptation, when the elevator arrives, the doors open and waves of blood wash out of the elevator and down the hallway. Andy Muschietti sought to top that with It: Chapter Two, and featured five thousand gallons of fake blood, which is supposedly the most fake blood used in one movie scene ever. It’s even enough to fill an average above ground pool.
Isaiah Mustafa Almost Missed His Wedding
Isaiah Mustafa may have been known to most as “the Old Spice Guy,” since he was the one who appeared in all those classic advertisements for Old Spice. You know the one—he’s the guy who’d say “look at your man, now back to me,” which everyone referenced for months and months after the commercial was first aired.
Isaiah Mustafa sought to expand his repertoire, and so auditioned to play Mike Hanlon in It: Chapter Two. He was a favorite of the casting directors, so they called him in for his final callback—five hours before he was supposed to leave town for his wedding. And he went, and nearly missed his own wedding in the process. Luckily, he not only made it to his own wedding, but the risk paid off, and he was cast as Mike!
Finn Wolfhard Fought for His Friends
Finn Wolfhard, who plays the child Richie Tozier in It: Chapter One and in flashbacks throughout It: Chapter Two, is responsible not only for helping keep the cast together after filming but for bringing the cast together in the first place. Finn Wolfhard himself even commented that the other young actors who played the others members of the Losers’ Club, saying that they’re actually all best friends now.
He also was partially responsible for bringing Bill Hader into the cast of It: Chapter Tw, when he advocated for Bill Hader to be cast as the adult version of Finn Wolfhard’s Richie Tozier. In fact, Bill Hader even jokingly (or, perhaps not jokingly) thanked Finn Wolfhard for his influence when they first met after he was officially cast.
The Children Were De-Aged
Since It: Chapter Two was not filmed at the same time as It: Chapter One, and children grow and change more quickly and drastically than adults do, Andy Muschietti found himself in a bit of a bind when he needed the child actors to film flashbacks to the events of It: Chapter One, but they had all, as children do, grown beyond how they looked during that film.
In order to make them seem more like they did in the first movie, the child actors were de-aged using special effects. They also used practical effects, raising their voices to make them sound younger and then even modifying them beyond that with additional special effects afterward, just to be sure!
Bill Skarsgård Needed Space to Get in Character
Playing Pennywise the Dancing Clown can’t be an easy role, especially since he has some huge clown shoes to fill following the iconic performance by Tim Curry. In order to properly get into character on set, it’s reported that Bill Skarsgård actually had his own private, secluded tent where he would get his final makeup done.
Then, he would spend time alone in the tent to fully warm up and get entirely into character as Pennywise without anyone around to judge or impact him. He even could be heard across the set working on his evil voice and laugh. Sometimes, too, he would even Skype call his brothers—of which he has many, and several of them famous—while in the full Pennywise makeup, just to give them all a laugh.
Stephen King Added New Scenes
Though Stephen King’s original novel, It, is considered such an outrageous behemoth of a book that most don’t even bother to read it, it has countless scenes that never make it to any of the adaptations. Sometimes, this is for the best, since there are a few scenes that really aren’t necessary or required and probably should’ve been edited out.
However, Stephen King and Andy Muschietti didn’t even go to the book for one of the scenes they insisted on adding; no, this scene was entirely new, and it’s the scene where Paul Bunyan chases a young Richie Tozier following his encounter with Henry Bowers, his bully, at his favorite arcade. This addition was one of the most exciting parts of the entire movie, in the end, and deepened the plot in memorable, emotional ways.
Bill Hader is the King of Improvisation
Though this is no surprise to fans of Bill Hader, he proved behind the scenes of the filming of It: Chapter Two that he is truly the king of improvisation. As it turns out, Bill Hader and James Ransone, who played the adult Eddie Kaspbrak, completely improvised their reactions to the Pomeranian they see while during the final battle with It.
As if that hilarious response wasn’t impressive enough, Bill Hader did countless other impressions that never made it into the movie, including a great improvised André the Giant. Tragically, Bill Hader didn’t end up doing many impressions during the movie as Richie Tozier, and was tragically underutilized in the final cut. For shame!