James McAvoy recalls being freaked out by Pennywise on set of It: Chapter 2

This new year in movies may upcoming hits with superheroes and Jedi, but easily one of the most anticipated movies of the year is the follow-up to the 2017 hit IT – IT: CHAPTER TWO. Focusing on the adult characters decades after the events of the first movie, the young clown haters from the first film will now be played by the likes of James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, James Ransone and Andy Bean. These are all grown adults, and according to McAvoy they’re just like every other grown adult and were terrified by the presence of the sinister Dancing Clown, Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard).

[SEE MORE]

McAvoy has been on the promotion trail recently for the new movie GLASS, and while on Good Morning America was asked about if he was scared of clowns – as most people are. Of course, he talked about being freaked out by the clown, joking about a time he and his fellow actors regretted being on set one day,

“He’s amazing. The guy who plays the clown is terrifying. He’s a lovely guy, and yet he really freaked me out. I remember standing there with the rest of the cast, all these adults, and we’d all done weird, freaky stuff. And we are all looking at each other going, ‘I don’t like being here. I don’t like being an actor today.’ He really did, he really freaked me out. I never liked clowns as a kid.”

The conversation then steered to the psychological reasons behind why people are so off-put by clowns, and to that McAvoy has an interesting theory.

“There’s something tragic about them. Maybe they’ve all run away to join the circus. What you running away from, Mr. Clown? What have you left behind? Is it like bodies in a trunk?”

[SEE MORE]

In the upcoming sequel McAvoy plays the adult version of Bill, and with the other members of the Loser’s Club return to the town of Derry after the clown returns to feed after 25 years in hibernation. The last movie grossed over $300 million domestically and over $700 million worldwide to become the biggest horror movie ever, which is a good sign for the sequel. Even if it makes half or that it would still be a hit by horror standards, which means between GLASS, IT and DARK PHOENIX McAvoy is shaping up to have one great year.

As for being terrified of the clown on set, at least it's great to know they were suitably freaked out about working some days, what with Skarsgard roaming around in makeup. Any sensible person should be unnerved by grinning killers in makeup, which is why the first movie is so freaky at its core. Glad to know the cast are sensible people. 

IT: CHAPTER TWO hits theaters September 6.