In a world filled with scary clowns, it's nice to know that one scary clown isn't so scary in real life. Bill Skarsgård, who plays Pennywise the Clown in the upcoming film adaptation of Stephen King's It, is a 26-year-old cutie... and just so happens to be a relative of a certain Big Little Lies star.
Yep, Skarsgård — who can be seen torturing kids in the new It trailer — is one of the Skarsgårds, albeit a lesser-known one. His brother is Alexander of Big Little Lies and True Blood fame, and his dad is Stellan Skarsgård, a.k.a. Marvel's Dr. Erik Selvig and also the guy in Good Will Hunting who wanted to use Matt Damon's math brain for evil. (Or something.) Now, it's 26-year-old Bill who is in the spotlight — though you may not want to actually look at him for that long in the new movie.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Outside of his new film venture, of course, the actor is as handsome as they come — which should be refreshing for anyone with a serious phobia of clowns.
Skarsgård is well aware of how his new role comes across. The actor, who has also joined the upcoming Stephen King Hulu series Castle Rock, told Entertainment Weekly:
"It’s such an extreme character. Inhumane. It’s beyond even a sociopath, because he’s not even human," said the actor.
Anyone with a clown phobia might not be itching to see It on opening weekend, but the star of the new movie also reminded fans that, technically, his character isn't actually a clown.
"He’s not even a clown. I’m playing just one of the beings It creates."
Hopefully, knowing that the guy underneath the white paint and red nose isn't actually a manifestation of a demonic clown should help you sleep better at night... though it's perfectly understandable if Pennywise still has you wide awake.