Bill Skarsgard Reveals How He Came Up With Pennywise’s Sinister Voice For ‘It’
Since It released in theaters, the film has proven to be a success at the box office. Not only did the film smash records in its opening weekend, but it was also the number one movie for two weeks in a row, before being beat in its third weekend by Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and even then It had a strong presence at the box office. One of the reasons for this success is due to Bill Skarsgard, and his take on Pennywise.
With It dominating the month of September, audiences who have seen the remake have been eager to learn more about what went into making the movie a success, and what the future holds in terms of a sequel. While Bill Skarsgard has been very forthcoming with information about his version of Pennywise, and even revealed a scene that was removed from the film which he described as being extremely creepy, one thing fans have been curious about is how he came up with the voice for his character.
According to Thrillist, during a recent interview Bill Skarsgard revealed just how he came up with his version of Pennywise’s sinister voice, and it apparently took a lot of work and determination. In fact, it would seem that the voice actually “started out with a laugh.”
Pop! Pop! Pop! Have some fun with your pal Pennywise and get #ITMovie tickets today: https://t.co/rnnloWv2ep pic.twitter.com/QZaagDpPZC
— IT Chapter Two ?? (@ITMovieOfficial) September 8, 2017
In the interview, Bill Skarsgard explained that in order to bring Pennywise’s voice to life he was playing around with laughing, “but on the verge of a panic attack and crying at the same time.” The actor said that he started to creep himself out when he did the voice and laughter on his own. When it comes to the laugh, Skarsgard noted that it embodies the idea of Pennywise perfectly, because it does not sound like what real laughter sounds like, which he feels works perfectly with the idea of his character “not being human or a perfect clown.”
Apparently the laughter was made even easier by Bill Skarsgard’s appreciation for soda water. In order to make Pennywise have a grittier quality to his laugh, the actor shared that he “swilled” soda water. While this helped to give a more sinister air to the laughter, it also led to Skarsgard having to “belch excessively and delivered a stomach ache.”
What are you afraid of? #ITMovie pic.twitter.com/JO8XG8vGB1
— IT Chapter Two ?? (@ITMovieOfficial) March 29, 2017
It is not just the voice and laughter that Bill Skarsgard was able to perfect, the actor also managed to pull off the creepy smile and the unsettling eyes, and all of this was stuff he already knew how to do. As Digital Spy reported, Andy Muschietti, the director of It, wanted Pennywise to have something “off” about the look in his eyes, and it turned out that Skarsgard already had the ability to have his eyes looking off in different directions. In fact, according to the director almost everything about Pennywise is Bill Skarsgard, “besides from the morphing moments, it’s him – even the moment where his eye is looking away.”
Whether it was the creepy smile, the unsettling eyes, the gritty, almost inhuman laughter, or the sinister voice, Bill Skarsgard was able to bring Pennywise to life. With It in theaters now, and the idea of a sequel already being discussed, audiences interested in seeing Skarsgard in action still have the opportunity to head out to the movies and see just how immersed in the role the actor was able to get.
[Featured Image by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images]
