With IT: Welcome to Derry Season 1 Episode 1 now out, the show’s premiere episode truly shocked fans (not just counting its terrifying opening sequence!) If one were to think that the original It films were truly gruesome, then this introductory episode could be considered as a huge step forward when it came to delivering a brutal experience.
IT: Welcome to Derry’s premiere introduced us to a 1960s-stylized Derry through multiple characters. From Leroy Hanlan, a determined military man making the most of it, to Lilly Bainbridge, a young girl considered a social outcast when she decides to dig deeper, there are many characters that the series handles. However, Episode 1’s conclusion left much to ponder on, given its gory conclusion.
Andy and Barbara Muschietti, in addition to the cast of IT: Welcome to Derry, answered some important questions regarding Season 1 Episode 1 and more during a special Q&A. Initially, Andy Muschietti spoke on what the conversations on the origins and opening of the series were like.
“I started having conversations with Bill Skarsgård. Together we were sort of high on the experience and it was like just speculating about making the origin story of IT, of Pennywise,” Andy Muschietti began.
“I found myself sort of visualizing [an] invisible hidden story within that incomplete puzzle that Stephen King created,” Muschietti continued. “That got us excited! There is a reason why we’re telling the story backwards that you won’t know yet. Can’t tell you!”
Muschietti also spoke on King’s response to the idea of expanding the original story through this different perspective: “I think that Stephen King at this point had enough confidence in us or in the possibilities that we could bring that he said, ‘Just go for it.’ Of course, he’s always like, you know, reading and blessing everything every single step. But he was very open to this, again, this hidden story that I was talking about.”
Jovan Adepo, who plays Leroy Hanlan, also remarked on what Leroy’s plans are, going forward, in addition to how he’ll play a very important role in the coming episodes: “The character himself relates to my father a lot. My father was in the Air Force and just was a very strict military man, so I was very familiar with, I would say, Will’s upbringing as a young man trying to understand his father.”
“Horror gives so much space for freedom and telling stories. I mean, there’s so much that you can explore just outside of the sensational aspects of it, just what experiences people are going through.”
Adepo, along with Taylour Paige who plays Leroy’s wife Charlotte, also spoke on what it was like to create that family dynamic with Blake Cameron James, who plays the young Will Hanlon. “I would tease [Blake] so much about it because I forget that he’s a kid because he takes the work so seriously,” Adepo recalled. “In between takes, he’d always come over and he’d be like, ‘Mr. Jovan, could you take a second to talk about the scene with me? Can we talk about stakes and what’s happening in this moment?’ I would say that all the kids share that type of passion for the storytelling and it was just really something to see.”
“He was like, ‘Yeah, it’s hard to watch things because you’re like, I wish I did that differently,’” Paige added. “I’m like, ‘That will be with you for the rest of your life, career and life, but it’s okay. We strive to get better and also give yourself grace. You’re incredible.’ And he was like, ‘Yes, ma’am.’ He’s so sweet, but all of them break my heart in the best way. They’re just incredible.”
On one particular character that most fans are excited to see, Chris Chalk’s Dick Hallorann continues to bridge the connection between multiple Stephen King stories that were temporarily felt in the books. Chalk went into detail on what his experience was like bringing Hallorann into Derry.
“[Hallorann’s] a character that had already been written excellently,” Chalk noted. “It had already played excellently, and then when I got the script, it’s already written excellently in this script.”
“As we’re vibing and creating, that’s the exciting stuff ’cause we’re discovering who he is as we bring him back from what people know. We’re playing with the idea of how we can play with the audience’s expectation of what he is? He’s such a gentle soul in the versions that you know.”
“He’s having a human experience, learning to live with devastating psychic powers,” Chalk added “It seems cool until you realize everyone around you is depressed. Then it’s not super fun!”
One of the most important aspects of the It series involves a godlike deity who was previously teased in Season 1 Episode 1. Better known as Maturin, the Turtle is one of the most powerful entities in King’s story that goes head-to-head with the Creature. Muschietti also touched on this character’s importance and if it appears in Welcome to Derry.
“It is a book that is written very much from the perspective of our human characters, but there’s always some journey of speculation about what’s on the other side. Through the experiences of the indigenous community, they come to certain visions that allow them to see things on the other side: the Macroverse,” Muschietti explained.
“One of those big question marks is “Is the turtle helping the losers or not?” It’s never answered in the book. Stanley Uris before committing suicide he says, ‘The turtle couldn’t help us.’”
“We are building a case that you will see in the big arc of this. There’s Easter eggs about the turtle in all the movies. There’s more here. “Burt the Turtle” is a character that was part of a campaign to warn kids from nuclear attacks in the ‘60s [PSA],” Muschietti noted.
New episodes of IT: Welcome to Derry release every Sunday at 9 PM EST on HBO and HBO Max.
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Christopher Gallardo is a freelance entertainment writer and critic. While not running The Reel Roller, Chris can be found writing reviews and breakdowns on all things films and TV. Outside of entertainment writing, he’s currently taking classes for a Bachelor’s of Science with a minor in Digital Media & Journalism. Plus, he loves Percy Jackson, animated films and shows, and Fallout! Follow Christopher on Instagram & X.