Entertainment
These Side By Side Comparisons Of The Older & Younger ‘It’ Actors Will Blow Your Mind
By splitting Stephen King's novel It into two separate films, the filmmakers behind 2017's It and the upcoming It Chapter Two were able to feature different casts for each film. The first movie features the Losers' Club as children, portrayed by child actors, while the sequel adds the adult versions of those same characters as the story picks up 27 years later. And when comparing the It cast's adults vs. kids, it becomes pretty clear that the sequel's casting department knew what they were doing.
In both the It novel and the It films, the Losers' Club — so named because its members are outsiders in their community — is made up of seven individuals who twice battle the malevolent entity Pennywise. The first battle takes place when they are children; 1958 in the novel and 1988 in the film. The second occurs 27 years later when Pennywise awakens from its hibernation. That year is 1985 in the novel, but It Chapter Two updates the timeline to the more modern setting of 2015. In both versions of the story, the Losers all move away from their hometown of Derry, ME while they're still young and forget about their battle with Pennywise. All except for one of them.
Mike Hanlon remains in Derry, becoming the town librarian and the link between Pennywise and the rest of the Losers. Once Mike realizes that Pennywise has awoken, he calls the rest of the Losers home so they can end the threat once and for all, and that conflict will make up the bulk of It Chapter Two. So who will be taking the torch from their younger counterparts in the sequel? Take a look below to see It's adult characters compared to their childhood incarnations.
Bill Denbrough
Bill is the leader of the Losers' Club, and his younger brother Georgie was Pennywise's first victim in 1988. In childhood he is played by Jaeden Lieberher. The adult version of the character is portrayed by James McAvoy, and is a successful novelist who's married to a famous actor named Audra Phillips.
Beverly Marsh
The lone female member of the Losers' Club who suffers abuse from her father, young Bev is portrayed by Sophia Lillis. After the Internet had pretty much already decided that Jessica Chastain should play the adult version of the character, the actor was officially cast in Feb. 2018. The older Bev is a successful fashion designer, but is stuck in an abusive marriage.
Richie Tozier
Foul-mouthed jokester Richie Tozier is played by Stranger Things' star Finn Wolfhard as a youth, while comedian Bill Hader takes the reins as the character's older version: a famous radio D.J. who lives in L.A.
Mike Hanlon
Mike is perhaps the most important of the Losers in It Chapter 2, but actor Chosen Jacobs wasn't given much to do as his child version in the first film. Hopefully the adult rendition, played by Old Spice Guy Isaiah Mustafa, fares better in the sequel.
Eddie Kaspbrak
The young version of hypochondriac Eddie is played by Jack Dylan Grazer, with James Ransone taking over as adult Eddie, who runs a limo business in New York.
Ben Hanscom
Young Ben, the new kid in town who's teased over his weight in the first film, is played by Jeremy Ray Taylor. As an adult, played by Jay Ryan, Ben slims down and moves to Nebraska, where he is a successful architect.
Stan Uris
Young Stan, as played by Wyatt Oleff, had a particularly traumatic experience in the first film after Pennywise nearly ate his face off. His adult counterpart, played by Andy Bean, is likely in for an even worse time in the sequel.
Henry Bowers
The Losers aren't the only young characters who are returning for the sequel. The group's tormentor Henry Bowers, whose child version is played by Nicholas Hamilton, is also returning for the sequel. Teach Grant plays the adult version, who was committed to a mental hospital after murdering his father in the original film.
The adults in It Chapter Two look pretty spot on compared to their childhood counterparts from the first film, and fans of the book should be excited to see how well the two halves of the story fit together.
