With the highly-anticipated movie adaptation of IT fast approaching, original Pennywise Tim Curry has been speaking about his 1990 miniseries version of the story, and admits he found the ending to the show somewhat lacking.
Curry’s performance has become iconic since the IT two-parter first aired, featuring him as Pennywise: a shapeshifting monster who regularly takes on the form of a sinister clown. The series terrified a whole generation of children, even though many of those same fans now admit that the ending - where Pennywise’s true form is revealed to be a rubbery looking spider - is something of a letdown.
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Speaking with The Guardian about his role in the series, Curry himself echoes this point of view, confessing this showdown wasn’t the strongest note to end on:
“I was very disappointed by the ending, when I turned into a rather unconvincing spider.”
While the finale may not have been satisfying to him, the actor is full of praise for the book and the work of author Stephen King.
“I’d read most of his books before doing It; he’s such a great storyteller. I love that he is more likely to quote Springsteen than Shakespeare. He’s got a great sense of how children think and speak. And a feeling for landscapes. I think he knows that everyone is vulnerable to something.”
Curry’s feelings on the ending echo that of director Tommy Lee Wallace and the cast too, who all felt replacing Curry’s chilling performance with a less than convincing monster spider was something of an anticlimax. While the reveal of Pennywise’s final form is somewhat true to King’s novel, the showdown depicted there is more otherworldly and bizarre, and would have been difficult to portray on a TV budget.
In spite of this, the IT miniseries is still a firm favorite amongst fans, many of whom saw it at a young age. Scenes such as Pennywise appearing to Georgie in the storm drain or Ben seeing his father’s ghost have lingered long in their nightmares, with Curry’s unforgettable portray of Pennywise also being a big factor.
Time will tell if the movie version can live up to its predecessor, but according to early reactions and the personal endorsement of Stephen King himself, it may even surpass it. New Pennywise star Bill Skarsgard will have some mighty big (clown) shoes to fill in the role, but given the raves he’s already receiving for his work, it looks like IT will be providing nightmares for a whole new generation.
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Source: The Guardian
