Things We Saw Today: Watch Bill Skarsgård Teach Stephen Colbert to Do Pennywise’s Creepy Smile

Bill Skarsgård is currently doing press for IT: Chapter Two, which means we get to be repeatedly reminded of just how jarring the disconnect is between the softspoken actor and Pennywise the demonic clown. Skarsgård has a fascinatingly unique face, to be sure, which he discussed with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show. There are whole Instagram accounts dedicated to comparing him and Steve Buscemi, which Skarsgård takes as the compliment he should.

But what he manages to do with his face (not to mention his voice) to create that scary-ass clown is pure art and it really all boils down to the smile. It’s what turns this very attractive movie star:

This man is a pure work of art #BillSkarsgard pic.twitter.com/OHmkCJVVhH

— bill skarsgård (@holyskarsgard) September 7, 2019

Into this:

image: screenshot, TBS

In the clip above, he attempts to teach Colbert how to recreate that creepy smile. (He did the same thing with Conan O’Brien back in 2017. It’s a hell of a party trick, after all.)

To be honest, Skarsgård doesn’t really offer much by way of tutorial; it’s more show-and-repeat. But he does discuss some of his inspirations. So if you focus on imagining a hyena crossed with a grizzly bear crossed with a terrifying demon clown that feeds on fear and hatred, that’s Pennywise!

• 15-year-old Millie Bobby Brown is producing a movie for Netflix called A Time Lost, based on an original story written by her. (via Variety)
• Spin has a list of 30 TV shows that defined the 2010s. They’re not all good shows, but it’s hard to argue that they’re not all influential (for better or worse). (via Spin)
• The Democratic candidates came together for a powerful gun control ad.
  

  Wow. I love this ad. pic.twitter.com/FobJoZBd18

  — Matt Rogers 🎙 (@Politidope) September 9, 2019

• Meanwhile, I admit I don’t understand a lot about U.K. politics but I sure do love the show.
  

  BERCOW GIVES ZERO ENTIRE FUCKS TODAY. HIS FIELD OF FUCKS IS BARREN. HE HAS NO FUCKS TO GIVE. HIS CUP OF FUCKS RAN DRY. THE OCEAN OF FUCKS HATH RECEDED. HIS FUCKS, WHICH WERE FEW, WERE LAUNCHED INTO THE SUN, WHERE THEY BURNED ON A SURFACE TEMP OF 5,600C. pic.twitter.com/0f8QTz2ll4

  — Elizabeth May (@_ElizabethMay) September 10, 2019

• I didn’t think I cared about the Apple event today and then they went announced Pet Portrait Mode. (via Twitter)
• There’s some intriguing stuff going on in these Arrow season 8 promo photos. (via TV Guide)
• HuffPost put together a wide-reaching project answering pretty much any question you could have about therapy, no matter your stage in the process. (via HuffPost)
• Crazy Rich Asians director Jon Chu weighed in on the recent pay disparity controversy. (via Hypable)

What did you all see out there today?

(image: YouTube))

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