Meet the Cast and Characters of ‘It: Welcome to Derry’
I would simply not move there!
- It: Welcome To Derry is a prequel to It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019)
- Bill Skarsgård reprises his role as Pennywise.
- Some characters are connected to other Stephen King properties.
Thinking about checking out the new HBO series It: Welcome to Derry but unsure about who's who and where this fits in with the It movie from 2017 and its 2019 sequel, both based on Stephen King's novel? Here's a primer on the cast and characters of It: Welcome to Derry to get you set up.
The series takes place in the 1960s and focuses on the time Pennywise the Dancing Clown visited the titular small town in Maine before he came for Georgie–a choice that would ultimately lead to the formation of the Loser's Club and Pennywise's downfall. It does take place in the same universe as the movies that also star Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise. But since Welcome to Derry takes place two decades before all of that, you can probably get away with watching without having seen the movies. Or, if you're already a fan, convince a friend who hasn't seen the movies to use the show as an entry point. The cast alone is reason enough to watch. In addition to Skarsgård, the cast includes some impressive TV veterans breathing life into this chapter (get it) of Derry history.
Jovan Adepo as Leroy Hanlon
Leroy and his family move to Derry just after a child has disappeared. If you're familiar with It, you know that those disappearances don't tend to stop at one.
Adepo is a two-time SAG nominee, for the films Fences and Babylon. He also starred in Watchmen and The Leftovers on HBO, another King adaptation called The Stand, the Jack Ryan series, and Ava DuVernay's miniseries When They See Us. He's also set to be in Christopher Nolan's adaptation of The Odyssey next year!
IG: @jovanadepo
Taylour Paige as Charlotte Hanlon
Charlotte is Leroy's wife and the mother of Will. It fans will recognize the last name Hanlon. Will's son Mike will be a key part of the "Loser's Club" that ultimately takes Pennywise down.
Paige won an Independent Spirit Award in 2022 for her leading role in Zola, a.k.a. the film based on that one Twitter thread. She's also known for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Hit The Floor, and the Kendrick Lamar song "We Cry Together."
IG: @taylour
Chris Chalk as Dick Hallorann
Dick Hallorann is a major character in the King connected universe canon. The character first appeared in The Shining as a chef at the Overlook Hotel who befriends Wendy and Danny Torrence. He also appears in the sequel to the book/film Doctor Sleep. He has a psychic ability that, in King's books, is called "the shining" and will probably prove useful in Derry.
Chalk has played iconic characters before. He was Lucius Fox in the DC comics series Gotham for four years, and Paul Drake on HBO's Perry Mason for three years. (He also played James Baldwin on the Ryan Murphy series Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, NBD!) You may also recognize him from The Newsroom, 12 Years A Slave, or Homeland.
IG: @mynameischrischalk
James Remar as General Shaw
It appears that, in this iteration of the story, there is a military base in Derry, Maine. So they're gonna need a General.
Remar plays Dexter's dad Harry Morgan in the Dexter franchise. His other credits include Black Lightning, Grey's Anatomy, The Warriors, and Oppenheimer.
Stephen Rider as Hank Grogan
According to TV Guide, Hank's storyline may or may not involve another infamous King location: the Shawshank State Prison.
Rider played a District Attorney named Blake Tower in the Netflix Daredevil and Luke Cage series. You might also know him from The Butler, The Host, or The Good Fight.
IG: @stephenride
Rudy Mancuso as Captain Pauly Russo
One of Leroy's military buddies/coworkers.
Mancuso is a musician as well as an actor and social media presence. (Can we say Vine star, still? YouTuber, definitely.) You might know him from the film Música, which he wrote, directed, and starred in alongside his future fiancé Camilla Mendes.
IG: @rudymancuso
Clara Stack as Lilly Bainbridge
Lilly rounds up a group of kids in Derry to investigate the disappearance of one of their friends and some weird music they heard around town. Unsurprisingly, it does not go well.
Prior to this series, Stack played a young Kate Bishop in the Disney+ series Hawkeye. She also appeared in shows including Madam Secretary, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Bull.
IG: @clara_stack_nyc
Matilda Lawler as Marge
There are a lot of kid actors populating Derry, obviously. Marge is one of of Lilly's friends, and Pennywise needs fresh meat.
I wanted to call out Lawler, because you might recognize her from the HBO series Station Eleven, The Gilded Age, and/or the Disney+ movie Flora & Ulysses. She's been nominated for a SAG award and a favorite working actor ever since appearing in an award-winning play called The Ferryman on Broadway.
IG: @matildalawleractor
Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise
The demon who terrorizes the town every 27 years needs no introduction.
While he's not always donning the iconic clown suit, Skarsgård does tend to keep it in the horror neighborhood. You may have seen him in Nosferatu in 2024, or prior to that in spooky scary movies and shows including The Crow, Barbarian, Hemlock Grove, and the King-inspired show set in the author's other infamous Maine town, Castle Rock. Can someone get this guy a romantic comedy or something??
IG: @billskarsgard_
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