With IT's September release date drawing closer, you may be having a hard time avoiding the ultra creepy trailers for the upcoming adaptation of Stephen King's classic novel. For people with a fear of clowns, the footage could be distressing to say the least, but thanks to Refinery29, you can rest easy knowing the IT clown is not scary in real life. In fact, the man behind Pennywise's demonic look is not only attractive, he's sure to be a familiar face to Netflix fans.
So, who's lurking under that evil clown makeup? It's none other than Bill Skarsgård, star of Hemlock Grove and brother to True Blood's Alexander Skarsgård. The actor is no stranger to horror, which should give him an advantage now that he's playing a creature that feeds off fear in IT. Watching him terrorize kids and totally ruin red balloons for you is no fun (unless you don't mind being terrified), but if the trailers are truly giving you nightmares, remembering that there's a normal, hard-working actor in the clown suit can only help.
Even if you've never seen Hemlock Grove, you've probably seen Skarsgård before. He had a lead role in 2013's Victoria, and he's also starring in this summer's Atomic Blonde. The 26-year-old's star is on the rise, and he already has another King adaptation lined up after IT, the upcoming Hulu series, Castle Rock. And if his Instagram is any indication, he spends a fair amount of time taking selfies with his friends, just like you.
Look, this is not the face of a man who is going to show up at your door in a full clown costume and a red balloon ready to terrorize children:
He's just a guy, pretending to be a demon in a movie that appears to be designed to make sure you never sleep again. From now on, when you see Pennywise, close your eyes and think of Skarsgård.
Much better, right? However, when it comes to combating the sheer horror that the trailer's "you'll float too" kid invokes, you're on your own.
