WEBVTT - Ep40 - Bill Skarsgard / “It” 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:22.000 You're listening to play back a Variety podcast. I'm your host, 0:00:22.040 --> 0:00:25.760 Variety Awards Editor Chris Tapley. Film festivals are raging from 0:00:25.840 --> 0:00:28.440 Venice to Toronto, but the biggest industry story this week 0:00:28.600 --> 0:00:31.319 had to be the box office strength of Andy Machette's It, 0:00:31.800 --> 0:00:36.040 a new adaptation of Stephen Kings six horror classic. The 0:00:36.040 --> 0:00:39.160 film took in more than seventeen million dollars opening weekend 0:00:39.200 --> 0:00:42.640 and looks to stay strong, ensuring a whole new generation's 0:00:42.680 --> 0:00:46.440 fear of clowns. Speaking of which, my guest today stars 0:00:46.479 --> 0:00:48.760 as Pennywise, the dancing clown in the new film, the 0:00:48.800 --> 0:00:53.279 creepy physical manifestation of an ancient evil entity that has 0:00:53.400 --> 0:00:56.600 terrorized the town of Dairy, Maine for centuries. His name 0:00:56.640 --> 0:00:58.600 is Bill scars Guard, and we're very happy he could 0:00:58.600 --> 0:01:00.680 stop by to discuss Bill. Thanks for coming on the show. 0:01:00.800 --> 0:01:04.080 Thanks for having me. I almost got tongue tongue tied there. 0:01:04.959 --> 0:01:08.000 I sometimes forget there's there's things you write and there's 0:01:08.040 --> 0:01:11.800 things you say. I don't necessarily go together anyway. First 0:01:11.800 --> 0:01:15.520 of all, congratulations the movie has done so phenomenally well. 0:01:15.760 --> 0:01:18.640 Uh and so I my first question is, what does 0:01:18.680 --> 0:01:21.720 this moment feel? Like for you because as you sit 0:01:21.760 --> 0:01:23.399 in that chair right now, you're the face of the 0:01:23.440 --> 0:01:26.520 biggest movie in the world at this very moment, and 0:01:26.600 --> 0:01:29.039 that must be just heavy and exciting, and you know 0:01:29.080 --> 0:01:31.200 your career is poised to go to the next level. 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:35.440 So just what's going through your mind this week? It's 0:01:35.480 --> 0:01:41.280 been really weird for me, and I haven't Like I'm 0:01:41.319 --> 0:01:44.800 I'm almost like a little bit confused by the whole 0:01:44.800 --> 0:01:48.160 thing because we were shooting. First of all, when I 0:01:48.160 --> 0:01:50.920 got the job, it was a huge deal for me, obviously, 0:01:51.000 --> 0:01:52.840 Like it's such a you know, I knew that there 0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:55.360 was a lot of anticipation for the movie and excitement 0:01:55.360 --> 0:01:59.720 about the project and and the character itself. Um, but 0:01:59.760 --> 0:02:02.640 then I hadn't like I didn't allow myself to do 0:02:03.760 --> 0:02:07.200 two to sort of hope for anything, do you know 0:02:07.240 --> 0:02:09.040 what I mean? Like I feel like I've I found 0:02:09.160 --> 0:02:12.079 hope for success or if the movie you know that 0:02:12.200 --> 0:02:14.200 there's just like I when we were shooting it, I 0:02:14.240 --> 0:02:16.880 had a feeling that we were making something that that 0:02:16.919 --> 0:02:19.440 would work. You know that like this is this might 0:02:19.680 --> 0:02:25.800 actually be very like successful, but more more importantly, something 0:02:25.800 --> 0:02:28.120 that that that's gonna work. You know that that people 0:02:28.120 --> 0:02:30.640 will respond to and an interpretation of the of the 0:02:30.680 --> 0:02:34.079 novel that people will really like. Um. But there was 0:02:34.120 --> 0:02:35.640 always that like in the back of my head, and 0:02:35.720 --> 0:02:38.520 even like when they were you know, we were sort 0:02:38.520 --> 0:02:40.560 of coming up to the release, people were like, Oh, 0:02:40.600 --> 0:02:41.880 it's going to do this well and this well and 0:02:41.919 --> 0:02:44.320 this well, and then the box office sort of you know, 0:02:44.360 --> 0:02:48.440 surprised everybody, even like the most optimistic predictions were like 0:02:48.600 --> 0:02:54.280 half of it, um and um. So yeah, up until everything, 0:02:54.320 --> 0:02:55.880 I was like, I just felt that I was going 0:02:55.919 --> 0:02:58.840 to either like something really terrible was going to happen 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:00.720 to me personally or or the movie that you know 0:03:00.760 --> 0:03:02.760 what I mean. Like, I was just like that things 0:03:02.800 --> 0:03:05.600 were just seemed to be going, Um, I feel like 0:03:05.600 --> 0:03:08.919 you're in suspended animation or something. What's going to happen? Well? Yeah, 0:03:08.919 --> 0:03:11.960 I mean it's I must admit, as you say, it's 0:03:11.960 --> 0:03:14.560 called everyone by surprise. I didn't expect this, And kudos 0:03:14.560 --> 0:03:18.200 to Warner Brothers marketing for everything that they've done. But 0:03:18.320 --> 0:03:21.720 that's just obliterated expectations. So why why do you think 0:03:21.720 --> 0:03:26.640 it's connected this week so strongly? Well, there's um, I 0:03:26.639 --> 0:03:31.040 think there's like, for first of all, the movie works 0:03:31.120 --> 0:03:34.200 so well. I think that it's it's it's such a 0:03:34.360 --> 0:03:36.680 it's it's a wide movie, you know that they it 0:03:36.720 --> 0:03:41.040 can reach a wider audience. Like when I, um, when 0:03:41.040 --> 0:03:45.960 we had a premier in uh in l A last week. Um, 0:03:46.000 --> 0:03:49.280 you know, people brought their moms and I asked, you know, 0:03:49.320 --> 0:03:51.400 and I had the premiere in Stockholm and my mom 0:03:51.440 --> 0:03:54.720 went and my girlfriend's mom went, and you know, I 0:03:54.760 --> 0:03:56.200 asked them like, what do you think of the film? 0:03:56.240 --> 0:03:58.880 And they really enjoyed it. And I think that's a 0:03:58.920 --> 0:04:00.880 testament to the film that it's a horror movie, but 0:04:00.960 --> 0:04:05.200 it's you know, it's sort of everybody's yeah, and there's 0:04:05.240 --> 0:04:09.480 something for everybody in it. So that's I think it's 0:04:09.520 --> 0:04:12.080 part of the wide success of it, that it's more 0:04:12.120 --> 0:04:14.560 than just a horror film, that people that who might 0:04:14.600 --> 0:04:19.960 not necessarily like horror movies, uh, we'll find something in 0:04:20.000 --> 0:04:23.080 the film or be sort of intrigued by it. Um. 0:04:23.200 --> 0:04:25.200 And then I think there was just a perfect storm 0:04:25.240 --> 0:04:28.760 with in terms of like just that draft on in 0:04:28.800 --> 0:04:32.040 the film. You know, there was having people and they 0:04:32.040 --> 0:04:34.799 were ready for something, so sort of a perfect storm 0:04:34.839 --> 0:04:37.480 of things. I think, Well, when you landed the part, 0:04:38.320 --> 0:04:42.160 you've probably asked this enough, But was it daunting considering 0:04:42.279 --> 0:04:44.919 just the kind of iconic portrayal of Tim Curry in 0:04:44.960 --> 0:04:47.960 the mini series from me? Was was that at all 0:04:48.000 --> 0:04:49.719 on your mind? Like, oh man, this is like a 0:04:49.800 --> 0:04:53.280 very iconic performance that's out there already, and you know, 0:04:53.880 --> 0:05:00.719 um yeah, I mean it was terrifying. I remember, Um. 0:05:00.839 --> 0:05:04.720 So first I got the audition itself, and I tried 0:05:04.720 --> 0:05:06.839 to prepare myself for that. I thought the audition was 0:05:06.880 --> 0:05:11.359 such a fun opportunity to sort of play play, like 0:05:11.400 --> 0:05:14.160 truly play, you know, like change your face and your 0:05:14.200 --> 0:05:17.520 voice and do something very transformative. Um, And I thought 0:05:17.560 --> 0:05:19.160 that was going to be it. You know, I never 0:05:19.200 --> 0:05:22.080 sort of put any expectations in booking a job because like, 0:05:22.400 --> 0:05:24.440 I don't think it's sustainable as an actor in the 0:05:24.440 --> 0:05:27.719 long run if you do so. Um, I had really 0:05:27.720 --> 0:05:31.160 fun with the audition and then they seemed to respond 0:05:31.160 --> 0:05:32.919 to it. So then that was sort of started the 0:05:32.960 --> 0:05:35.760 process of of trying to get the job. And and 0:05:35.960 --> 0:05:37.440 you know, there was I think I did four or 0:05:37.440 --> 0:05:40.159 five auditions. You know, it was a long process and 0:05:40.560 --> 0:05:43.120 in getting it, and then that was like the only 0:05:43.160 --> 0:05:45.880 thing right, like I'm just I need to book the job. 0:05:45.880 --> 0:05:48.400 And as soon as when I got the call, like 0:05:49.279 --> 0:05:52.800 you got it, you know your penny Wise, then it 0:05:52.920 --> 0:05:55.440 sort of dropped like holy ship, can I do this? 0:05:55.560 --> 0:05:58.880 Like can I pull this off? And more so than 0:05:58.960 --> 0:06:02.599 if like more so you know now that I've gained 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:05.359 the trust of the director Andy, like am I gonna 0:06:05.600 --> 0:06:08.120 let him down? Like there was more that was probably 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:10.840 something that I was worried more about. Yeah I have 0:06:10.920 --> 0:06:13.680 my friend. Yeah, and then just assured like that the 0:06:13.680 --> 0:06:16.520 the the every day like the the usual uh sort 0:06:16.560 --> 0:06:19.840 of inner demons that I think every creative person goes through. 0:06:19.839 --> 0:06:21.680 It was like, yeah, I'm a fraud. I've just fooled everybody. 0:06:21.720 --> 0:06:24.840 Those stup at this point like, um, they're idiots for 0:06:24.920 --> 0:06:26.680 even believing that I could do with this and you know, 0:06:26.720 --> 0:06:29.560 and I'm people are gonna laugh at me and so far. Um, 0:06:29.720 --> 0:06:32.400 so I had a whole there was a whole phase 0:06:32.440 --> 0:06:36.200 there where I was like terrified and I'm like I 0:06:36.279 --> 0:06:38.479 was because I've never done anything on the scale before 0:06:38.480 --> 0:06:41.280 and I and I've certainly never done anything where there 0:06:41.360 --> 0:06:44.680 was that many opinions about the character. You know, beforehand, 0:06:44.800 --> 0:06:47.760 people fans of the TV show and you know who, 0:06:47.839 --> 0:06:51.279 like the Tim Curry performance, fans of the book. You know, 0:06:51.320 --> 0:06:53.520 there were so many people out there that had their 0:06:53.560 --> 0:06:56.040 own opinions, so what the character should be before I 0:06:56.080 --> 0:06:59.480 even started working or before I even started doing it myself. 0:07:00.279 --> 0:07:04.239 So um um, yeah, it was. It was the first 0:07:04.760 --> 0:07:07.839 have you talked at him? He has never met No, 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:12.520 I've never met him, or or Stephen King. Yeah. Interesting, 0:07:12.560 --> 0:07:15.040 Well I understood that Stephen didn't have much involvement in 0:07:15.040 --> 0:07:19.080 this or the Dark Tyler, I guess. But I'd be 0:07:19.120 --> 0:07:21.440 curious to hear what Mr Curry thinks because it's quite 0:07:21.480 --> 0:07:24.360 an unsettling portrayal. I wanted to get into your incarnation, 0:07:24.480 --> 0:07:28.520 which is, uh, you know, there's something about the physicality. 0:07:28.800 --> 0:07:31.320 There's kind of a feral aspect to it. You know. 0:07:31.720 --> 0:07:35.920 Curry went in a kind of Vaudvilian direction, uh, particularly 0:07:35.960 --> 0:07:37.640 with his voice, which I'll get into as well. But 0:07:37.720 --> 0:07:39.280 I want to know what you and Andy talked about 0:07:39.280 --> 0:07:44.160 in terms of that physical behavior and how this entity 0:07:44.280 --> 0:07:48.320 inhabits his space, because I guess the sky's the limit 0:07:48.360 --> 0:07:51.280 on creativity, right like, in terms of how you can 0:07:51.520 --> 0:07:54.200 portray how this guy is. And I when I say feral, 0:07:54.280 --> 0:07:57.280 I mean, you know, just kind of the quick, ferocious stuff. 0:07:57.280 --> 0:08:00.200 He'll do and just just his physical behavior is unk 0:08:00.360 --> 0:08:02.200 and just talk about that what you guys talked about 0:08:02.200 --> 0:08:09.000 and how you would represent that. Yeah, So my sort 0:08:09.000 --> 0:08:14.520 of take on it initially was obviously that Tim Curry 0:08:15.360 --> 0:08:21.560 did such an amazing Tim Curry performance, and and I 0:08:21.560 --> 0:08:24.400 I didn't see a point in trying to emulate that 0:08:24.480 --> 0:08:26.200 because I don't think I could do it as well 0:08:26.240 --> 0:08:30.040 as he did. So I wanted to, you know, um 0:08:30.240 --> 0:08:34.280 do something different with enough course and and and um 0:08:34.600 --> 0:08:37.480 sort of have my own take on it. So and 0:08:37.520 --> 0:08:41.200 there was, you know, the aspect of I thought that 0:08:41.200 --> 0:08:43.720 the character could be or we want to you know, 0:08:43.760 --> 0:08:48.200 go through sort of there's layers to the to the 0:08:48.320 --> 0:08:53.760 entity of it. So Penny Wise is the manifestation of 0:08:53.800 --> 0:08:57.920 this clown that this entity is behind. And this entity 0:08:58.000 --> 0:09:01.880 is this sort of trans dimensional being being. Um that 0:09:02.040 --> 0:09:05.079 is you know, it's very very abstract, the whole thing 0:09:05.120 --> 0:09:08.880 in the novel um, but I wanted to sort of 0:09:09.160 --> 0:09:12.840 implement that more that into the characters of the character. 0:09:12.920 --> 0:09:16.440 Is there's an entity, this thing who can take any 0:09:16.440 --> 0:09:19.960 shape or form it want, and it's taken this shape 0:09:19.960 --> 0:09:23.760 of a clown. So the representation is this clown, but 0:09:23.840 --> 0:09:27.000 it's something wrong with the clown. The clown isn't isn't 0:09:27.000 --> 0:09:31.000 a perfect clown, right, It's there's something off with it. Uh. 0:09:31.240 --> 0:09:34.200 So it's like almost like it there's glitches in the 0:09:34.240 --> 0:09:37.600 interpretation of it. Um uh. And I thought that was 0:09:37.640 --> 0:09:40.240 just such a fun thing to explore. So there's this 0:09:40.360 --> 0:09:44.800 undertone of like, you know, the walleyed look and um um, 0:09:45.800 --> 0:09:48.680 you know, the sort of thing glitching. And at times 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:51.520 the character seems like painting why, seems to disappear altogether. 0:09:51.640 --> 0:09:54.800 So he's yeah, he shuts down and he freezes in 0:09:54.800 --> 0:09:57.679 a moment, and he's lost. And in my idea, that 0:09:57.840 --> 0:10:00.320 was like the entity who lives in the sort of 0:10:00.360 --> 0:10:03.320 other tracking like dimension is sort of tapping in and 0:10:03.360 --> 0:10:06.360 out out of these spaces. So at times he disappears 0:10:06.400 --> 0:10:08.679 and as you're just left with this sort of skeleton 0:10:08.679 --> 0:10:14.280 of a skeleton um so um. And then there was, 0:10:14.360 --> 0:10:16.800 you know, the the childlike aspect that we wanted to 0:10:16.840 --> 0:10:19.120 play up as well, and that Andy sort of had 0:10:19.200 --> 0:10:24.640 had had thought about a lot two because Pennywise exists 0:10:24.679 --> 0:10:27.360 sort of in in he only exists really in the 0:10:27.400 --> 0:10:31.400 imagination of children, so he's forever linked to the children 0:10:31.440 --> 0:10:34.640 and to their fears. And so we incorporated sort of 0:10:34.720 --> 0:10:38.200 childlike mannerisms and and and fit in the physicality and 0:10:38.679 --> 0:10:43.800 um sort of goofy childlike uh you know things, and 0:10:44.240 --> 0:10:46.000 in her in his face and now how he how 0:10:46.000 --> 0:10:50.760 he played how I played it? Um and um and 0:10:50.800 --> 0:10:54.360 the feral thing like I I always I always like 0:10:54.960 --> 0:10:58.040 I think it's you know, not to get too pretentious 0:10:58.040 --> 0:11:00.040 with like your character's inner animal. But like I, I 0:11:00.440 --> 0:11:05.520 do think it's fun to look at animal shows, especially 0:11:05.520 --> 0:11:08.679 for a character like this, to go like wild animal 0:11:08.720 --> 0:11:11.560 programs and see what what you can sort of get 0:11:11.559 --> 0:11:15.319 inspired by in terms of some ferocious you know, some 0:11:15.320 --> 0:11:20.080 something ferocious and animalistic that I wanted to implement in 0:11:20.080 --> 0:11:22.480 the character as well. So was there a particular animal 0:11:22.520 --> 0:11:26.720 that had a weird parallel for you? Yeah? The hyena, 0:11:27.080 --> 0:11:32.240 oh yeah. Um, And and bears as well. Um, bears 0:11:32.240 --> 0:11:35.720 can sometimes how you just made that face, guys, and 0:11:35.760 --> 0:11:40.240 it really creep me it smile, But they if you 0:11:40.280 --> 0:11:43.200 look at you know, bears have that really great trip 0:11:43.720 --> 0:11:46.760 then they drooled a lot as well. Um. And hyenas 0:11:46.800 --> 0:11:50.840 as well, for those sort of uh energy and pace 0:11:50.880 --> 0:11:54.760 in them, they're so like they're so explosive and hysterical right, 0:11:54.840 --> 0:11:57.240 So how about the voice. It's it's more of like 0:11:57.280 --> 0:12:02.920 a guttural kind of uh just growl really in some ways. 0:12:03.200 --> 0:12:05.880 And then how he speaks, so that and again that's 0:12:05.880 --> 0:12:09.960 completely you know, a different direction than what was done before, 0:12:10.320 --> 0:12:12.400 which was very interesting to me. So talk about that. 0:12:12.600 --> 0:12:15.480 Um yeah, no, the same thing there was like that. 0:12:15.920 --> 0:12:19.720 You know, I didn't want to um like, I never 0:12:19.760 --> 0:12:22.560 wanted to compete with the Tim Curry performant, so like 0:12:22.600 --> 0:12:26.360 and and I genuinely believe that you could appreciate and 0:12:26.400 --> 0:12:29.000 look at these performances separately, you know that they're there 0:12:29.000 --> 0:12:32.080 are two different things and and and um. In order 0:12:32.120 --> 0:12:34.160 to do that, obviously I had to do something different 0:12:34.160 --> 0:12:38.400 with it. If otherwise the comparisons would be um impossible 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:42.440 not to do. So I am um. And the voice 0:12:42.440 --> 0:12:45.040 for me sort of started out with a laugh, like 0:12:45.120 --> 0:12:47.400 I I was playing around with a laugh, and I 0:12:47.440 --> 0:12:51.480 wanted the laugh to be not a laugh, like, I 0:12:51.520 --> 0:12:55.000 wanted the laugh to be something that's on the verge 0:12:55.040 --> 0:12:58.199 of a panic attack and crying at the same time 0:12:58.240 --> 0:13:01.480 as it's a laugh. So that's just something. And when 0:13:01.480 --> 0:13:03.959 I started doing it just by myself, I sort of 0:13:03.960 --> 0:13:07.040 creep myself out with it like this does not because 0:13:07.040 --> 0:13:09.320 it doesn't sound like a real laugh, and again going 0:13:09.360 --> 0:13:12.800 into the aspect of the character not being human or 0:13:12.920 --> 0:13:15.720 or a perfect clown. It's like this, it's something really 0:13:15.760 --> 0:13:18.719 really off with the character. So um. And then the 0:13:18.800 --> 0:13:20.720 voice kind of came in with that as well, or 0:13:20.960 --> 0:13:22.880 it took off after that. I sort of figure out 0:13:22.880 --> 0:13:25.280 who the laugh was and sort of this nuances of 0:13:25.320 --> 0:13:27.880 the kind I'm having a breaking like there's something breaky 0:13:27.960 --> 0:13:30.040 lee and then it goes up and down in pitch 0:13:30.080 --> 0:13:32.520 and sometimes it really drops, and sometimes it breaks up 0:13:32.559 --> 0:13:35.440 really high and and and have to get this sort 0:13:35.440 --> 0:13:41.200 of crack ely crack ely, you know, demonic sound to him. 0:13:41.240 --> 0:13:45.599 So you can pop that off at any moment. The voice, Um, 0:13:46.280 --> 0:13:48.240 I don't know, like I think I can, but I 0:13:48.240 --> 0:13:49.920 don't want to make you dance, but I almost want 0:13:49.920 --> 0:13:52.160 to be like, can you say you're listening to playback? 0:13:52.960 --> 0:13:56.920 You're listening to playback at variety? This is pennywise, you're 0:13:56.920 --> 0:14:04.240 listening to playback at variety. You're listening good playback on rity. 0:14:06.360 --> 0:14:10.680 I promise we won't exploit that, thank you know. But 0:14:10.720 --> 0:14:12.760 it's funny even doing it like that, because like I 0:14:12.920 --> 0:14:15.600 like I would always I would, even before every take, 0:14:16.000 --> 0:14:18.240 I would, I would. I would start with a laugh 0:14:18.480 --> 0:14:23.600 and the shouts. It's like and then like and you know, 0:14:23.760 --> 0:14:26.040 really go into the left and then I would find 0:14:26.480 --> 0:14:31.240 sort of the right tone. Yeah, yeah to start. Yeah, 0:14:31.240 --> 0:14:33.320 it's differm but it's it's it's it's more like finding 0:14:33.320 --> 0:14:37.680 because every character sort of for me, they have sort 0:14:37.720 --> 0:14:40.560 of a tone, Like everych each character sort of has 0:14:40.600 --> 0:14:43.120 like a like a tone that you can almost find. 0:14:43.880 --> 0:14:45.800 Um and for a pennywise you know, I said, there 0:14:45.840 --> 0:14:48.800 was the laugh and and sort of just to scream 0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:52.800 kind of high pitched scream that made me find like 0:14:52.840 --> 0:14:55.000 all right, and now I can carry on with that 0:14:55.080 --> 0:14:57.960 sort of essence into the dialogue and the scene. Were 0:14:57.960 --> 0:14:59.640 you seene for scene or where did you try to 0:14:59.680 --> 0:15:03.080 main like not that you're like talking and accepting direction 0:15:03.120 --> 0:15:05.960 in that voice, but I don't know how much of 0:15:06.120 --> 0:15:09.000 that part of the character you stayed in while you 0:15:09.040 --> 0:15:12.480 were on the set. Yeah, like I'm I'm I've never 0:15:12.520 --> 0:15:15.480 done like a full the full sort of method. Yeah, 0:15:15.520 --> 0:15:22.720 they for me, so um um, I would maintain in 0:15:22.720 --> 0:15:25.240 in the energy of it. So whatever that means for 0:15:25.280 --> 0:15:30.800 whatever sen you're doing. Um, but um Um, I never 0:15:30.840 --> 0:15:34.800 spoke to um Andy and full penning by this voice? 0:15:35.480 --> 0:15:37.800 How many hours of makeup were you looking at every day? 0:15:38.440 --> 0:15:41.160 Two and a half. Okay, I'm not terrible. There's definitely worse. 0:15:41.280 --> 0:15:44.480 I guess what did that physical transformation do for you? 0:15:44.760 --> 0:15:47.760 Did it put you in the zone or was it 0:15:47.880 --> 0:15:50.720 like something you felt like you had to perform past 0:15:51.000 --> 0:15:53.920 to get past? Um? You know, it's just it affects 0:15:53.920 --> 0:16:00.120 actors differently sometimes. Yeah, Um, it was. It was the 0:16:00.160 --> 0:16:03.000 whole process of leading up to getting the makeup on 0:16:03.320 --> 0:16:06.760 I had. The character was so abstract to me, so 0:16:06.840 --> 0:16:08.880 I played around with a lot of ideas, but I 0:16:08.880 --> 0:16:13.000 didn't know how anything translated onto the makeup or the face, 0:16:13.160 --> 0:16:19.120 so the the visual like, you know, I didn't know 0:16:19.200 --> 0:16:20.760 up until the point where the first time I had 0:16:20.800 --> 0:16:22.320 to make up onto like, oh, this is how my 0:16:22.400 --> 0:16:24.760 face moves and reacts. And I tried like sort of 0:16:24.920 --> 0:16:27.360 you know, the expressions and facial expressions and all of that, 0:16:28.160 --> 0:16:30.320 and I had ideas for them, but I didn't and 0:16:30.320 --> 0:16:33.200 Andy didn't really know either. So the first time we 0:16:33.240 --> 0:16:35.160 got him on, like or the first time I got 0:16:35.160 --> 0:16:38.280 the makeup on, I was, um, you know, I really 0:16:38.280 --> 0:16:41.240 took time just by myself in the mirror trying to 0:16:41.280 --> 0:16:43.680 figure out how my face would move and react to it. 0:16:44.280 --> 0:16:47.280 And I also did like sort of selfie videos of 0:16:47.320 --> 0:16:51.360 like how things played, how the lightheaded and everything. You 0:16:51.360 --> 0:16:53.560 still have those those should go on the DVD and 0:16:53.760 --> 0:16:56.720 I have, I have, I have, I have quite a few. 0:16:58.120 --> 0:17:00.560 But and then we had the screen tests, so me 0:17:00.640 --> 0:17:03.920 and Andy sort of together, um figured out, you know, 0:17:03.960 --> 0:17:08.639 we did phaces and um, I've never like wanting to, 0:17:08.640 --> 0:17:10.960 like I I never sort of cared to look at 0:17:11.000 --> 0:17:14.159 my dailies or look at my performances, but with this one, 0:17:14.200 --> 0:17:16.200 it was very important for me to kind of actually 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:18.359 look at the monitor to see how things would would 0:17:18.400 --> 0:17:20.920 would track and how it would work, because I didn't 0:17:20.920 --> 0:17:24.120 really know, right, So there was that was the first 0:17:24.160 --> 0:17:27.560 for me. Uh you know, I think the highlight of 0:17:27.600 --> 0:17:30.240 your performance is it comes in the very first scene. 0:17:30.359 --> 0:17:33.359 For me, it's by now it's an iconic sequence, you know, 0:17:33.480 --> 0:17:36.880 the Georgie Denboro and the riyellow raincoat and the red 0:17:36.880 --> 0:17:39.880 balloon and the paper boat. You know, it's it's kind 0:17:39.880 --> 0:17:43.959 of Stephen King iconography. And there you are in the 0:17:44.000 --> 0:17:46.960 sewer luring this child to his death. So I just 0:17:47.000 --> 0:17:49.000 want to talk to you about shooting that scene and 0:17:49.040 --> 0:17:51.520 in that coverage and just I don't know if it 0:17:51.520 --> 0:17:53.159 took a day or two days or whatever, but what 0:17:53.400 --> 0:17:58.439 can you recall shooting that very iconic laugh comes to mind? First, 0:17:58.960 --> 0:18:02.280 this is the first, uh, the first time I actually 0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:05.440 got this question. And we shot this scene at the 0:18:05.560 --> 0:18:07.480 very end of the production I think goes the last 0:18:07.560 --> 0:18:10.159 day or the or the second to last day. Um, 0:18:10.520 --> 0:18:15.600 And I felt, um, I think this is something that 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:20.040 a lot of actors, uh could sort of sympathize with. 0:18:20.160 --> 0:18:23.520 And it's on the last day of of your shoot. 0:18:23.600 --> 0:18:26.159 You go, oh, I figured out the care and now 0:18:26.160 --> 0:18:28.080 I know what the character is. It's almost like you 0:18:28.200 --> 0:18:31.600 wanting you want to start shoot the shoot on your 0:18:31.680 --> 0:18:35.439 very last because um. And it's natural because you know, 0:18:35.600 --> 0:18:39.040 so much of the journey in doing a movie is 0:18:39.040 --> 0:18:42.719 getting to know the character as well. Um. Um. But um, 0:18:44.320 --> 0:18:45.960 you know so that I you know, I've done all 0:18:45.960 --> 0:18:48.600 my prep and we've shot the whole thing essentially up 0:18:48.640 --> 0:18:51.119 into the scene, and the scene if it's like if this, 0:18:51.240 --> 0:18:53.440 if the scene doesn't work, the movie doesn't work. I 0:18:53.480 --> 0:18:56.120 mean it's it's it's sets the whole town, it sets 0:18:56.160 --> 0:18:59.040 the whole tone and and and and in that regard, 0:18:59.080 --> 0:19:01.280 it's definitely one of the most important scenes in the movie, 0:19:01.320 --> 0:19:04.639 and it opens the film, and it's the introduction to 0:19:04.680 --> 0:19:07.120 penny Wise, the new penny Wise and all those things. 0:19:07.160 --> 0:19:09.040 So we like we knew that we had to, you know, 0:19:09.200 --> 0:19:11.639 nail it, and that scene was the scene that I 0:19:11.680 --> 0:19:15.240 auditioned with. So like the scene itself felt like I 0:19:15.240 --> 0:19:17.719 don't It was really hard to find anything new with it. 0:19:17.760 --> 0:19:19.320 You know, it felt like I've done it a thousand 0:19:19.320 --> 0:19:21.640 times and I knew it inside out and I had 0:19:21.880 --> 0:19:23.879 you know, I've sort of implemented all of my different 0:19:23.920 --> 0:19:26.600 ideas and takes on it, and we sort of found 0:19:27.240 --> 0:19:29.879 a middle ground um or me and he sort of 0:19:29.880 --> 0:19:31.760 found a place where like, Okay, we need to I 0:19:31.840 --> 0:19:35.240 need to be scary and threatening, but something cute about 0:19:35.280 --> 0:19:37.920 it and alluring and all these different sort of nuances 0:19:37.960 --> 0:19:41.200 and for the scene to work. And then when we're 0:19:41.200 --> 0:19:43.520 shooting it, and we're shooting so first of all, we 0:19:43.560 --> 0:19:48.040 started with Jackson's the kids coverage, UM and then in 0:19:48.119 --> 0:19:51.280 that scene, you know, he's very young, he's seven, so 0:19:51.560 --> 0:19:54.000 I had to sort of play up for his performance. 0:19:54.040 --> 0:19:57.480 So if I got too intense. He he would sort 0:19:57.480 --> 0:19:59.399 of come off or forget his lines and stuff like that, 0:19:59.440 --> 0:20:02.080 so we would I had to really kind of encourage him. 0:20:02.119 --> 0:20:04.400 And we had ear pieces where you know, the director 0:20:04.400 --> 0:20:06.960 and the acting coach were like directing him and I 0:20:07.000 --> 0:20:09.679 was UM. And then we turned around in my on 0:20:09.720 --> 0:20:12.320 my on my coverage uh at in the end of 0:20:12.320 --> 0:20:14.359 the you know, so we worked on him and this 0:20:14.440 --> 0:20:16.200 is at the end of the day. We shot it 0:20:16.200 --> 0:20:18.119 a lot, you know, many times, and we did did 0:20:18.200 --> 0:20:22.080 different ways. UM. And then there was we went in 0:20:22.119 --> 0:20:24.399 closer and this is the final setup of the scene 0:20:24.400 --> 0:20:26.200 and it was the closest, you know, the closest that 0:20:26.240 --> 0:20:31.280 we got for the setup. And I was tired, you 0:20:31.280 --> 0:20:35.200 know the end of the day. UM and UM you're 0:20:35.200 --> 0:20:38.240 probably wet. So I had this idea that we that 0:20:38.320 --> 0:20:43.399 we that we um UM sort of didn't actually end 0:20:43.480 --> 0:20:45.199 up being in the movie, but I was drinking a 0:20:45.200 --> 0:20:48.399 lot of soda water because I wanted UM sort of 0:20:48.440 --> 0:20:52.000 involuntary burbs to come up like like that just come 0:20:52.560 --> 0:20:55.000 and there's and it does something to your voice too, 0:20:55.040 --> 0:20:58.359 with the carbonated um and look, I I kind of 0:20:58.400 --> 0:21:02.560 have that and there's UM moments where I go because 0:21:02.560 --> 0:21:05.560 the way like it's there's like things that play around 0:21:05.560 --> 0:21:09.320 with my voice. So I was chugging soda water to 0:21:09.440 --> 0:21:12.720 kind of get those like involuntary things. I I don't 0:21:12.720 --> 0:21:14.439 I don't know. It might have ended up being like 0:21:14.480 --> 0:21:16.320 too commedic for the scene to be used, but it 0:21:16.440 --> 0:21:18.800 was there's there's that should be in the DVD because 0:21:18.800 --> 0:21:22.760 it's there's some really good like uncertain words, like I 0:21:22.800 --> 0:21:26.800 know circus is like the whole away and it's like 0:21:27.040 --> 0:21:29.159 this long birth of that word. But anyways, I've been 0:21:29.200 --> 0:21:32.760 drinking so and like I've been shugging soda water and 0:21:32.800 --> 0:21:35.280 my stomach started acting up like weird, and I'm like, 0:21:35.320 --> 0:21:37.520 oh no, like ah, this doesn't feel good at all, 0:21:37.560 --> 0:21:40.040 Like and we're like, oh, you know at the end 0:21:40.040 --> 0:21:43.399 of the day, and I knew we've gotten some good stuff, 0:21:43.400 --> 0:21:46.000 but there was something like I didn't feel like I've had, 0:21:46.200 --> 0:21:50.120 you know, nailed the whole thing um and the stomach thing, 0:21:50.320 --> 0:21:53.440