Bill Skarsgård's Pennywise with his monstrous mouth open in IT: Welcome to Derry episode 5
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Ash Crossan
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Grant Hermanns
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Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for IT: Welcome to Derry episode 5, "29 Neibolt Street"!Albeit indirectly, Pennywise has claimed another victim in IT: Welcome to Derry episode 5, but the star behind the character is still going to be working closely with creator Andy Muschietti going forward. The latest episode of the Stephen King-based series saw General Shaw and the military finally having narrowed down Pennywise's hiding place being under the house on 29 Neibolt Street, and sending a team of soldiers to track the malevolent entity down.
While in the sewer tunnels, the soldiers all found themselves targeted for torment by hallucinations from Pennywise, including Dick Hallorann having a vision of his grandparents trying to get him to unlock a mental box, and a demonic Uncle Sam attacking soldiers. Among those affected was Jovan Adepo's Leroy Hanlon who, thinking he was hallucinating his son and friends in the sewer, nearly shot them, only for Rudy Mancuso's Pauly to step in the way. Despite his death, he was seen as a zombified spirit by Dick in IT: Welcome to Derry episode 5's final moments.
Ahead of the episode's airing, ScreenRant's Ash Crossan interviewed Rudy Mancuso to discuss the episode. In reflecting on saying goodbye to the series after his character's death, the star described being part of "such an iconic universe" as IT: Welcome to Derry as being "really surreal":
Rudy Mancuso: I am not really much of an actor. I like to act in safe environments, and I like to work with my friends. Andy and I sort of made an oath to each other that we'll always put each other in each other's s--t. I was in The Flash, I'm in Welcome to Derry, he was in my film Música, and he's going to be in my next film.
Expounding on his relationship with the show's co-creator, Andy Muschietti, Mancuso went on to share a lesson they've taken from another filmmaker is "that working with your friends is never a mistake," quipping that while it can sometimes be "a pain in the ass," it largely proves to be the "most rewarding" experience one can have.
Explaining how productions require actors and filmmakers to "spend a considerable amount of time" with one another, and "step outside your comfort zone" to tell these stories, it's better to do so "with people you love," such as Muschietti. Returning to his discussion about his next project, Mancuso revealed he is directing a new movie musical, which is "based on a story that Andy came up with" and will be produced by Muschietti and his wife, Barbara.
Rudy Mancuso: He sat me down years ago, just before the Pandemic, and he was like, "I had this idea, and I don't know what to do with it." And then he told me about it, and he was like, "Do you know what to do with it?" I was like, "I think I know what to do with it." And we put it together.
As to what this "missing ingredient" was, Mancuso calls it the music, describing the movie as being "an anti-musical musical," mixing elements of "dark thriller" and "psychological" storytelling. Confessing the movie's going to be both "very bizarre" and "very simple," the Música filmmaker said that news on it will be coming "very soon".
Mancuso Knows Exactly How Pennywise Would Torment Him In Real Life
A zombified Pauly looking blankly to the right in IT: Welcome to Derry episode 5Brooke Palmer/HBO
ScreenRant: I want to know something, because at the premiere I was talking with your lovely now-fiancée, and I'm curious when you did it, was it before or after?
Rudy Mancuso: Oh, yeah. No, I didn't want our proposal to happen at the IT premiere. She wasn't my fiancée yet. You're right. It happened literally like three days later. The premiere was on a Monday or a Tuesday, and I proposed to her on Friday of that same week. It was a big surprise to a lot of people, so I was secretly, subconsciously thinking about that, and then consciously answering questions about IT.
ScreenRant: Congratulations. How did you know she was the one?
Rudy Mancuso: Oh, geez. Well, we made a film together called Música. That's where we met, and I was playing essentially a version of myself, and she a version of herself. So, while we're shooting these intimate moments where we're getting to know each other, our actual selves were getting to know each other, as well. It's hard to tell where life is and where art is during that film. Shooting a film together where you're pretending to fall in love with someone, and then actually falling in love with them, is a really beautiful thing. I never thought that I would experience it, and I'm very lucky that I did. But to answer your question, pretty much then. The first week of shooting this movie, I think we both knew, "Oh, this is more than just a fling or chemistry."
ScreenRant: Well, congratulations. I'm very happy for two. Also, congrats on this series, it is awesome. I'm curious about the backstory of how you came to be on the show. What was your audition process like, and what excited you most about joining the series?
Rudy Mancuso: Yeah, I'm very lucky that I'm very close with Andy and Barbara, who are like my family. I keep saying that because it's the truth. We talk every day, we have multiple projects we're doing together, and we spend every holiday together. I went from being a fan to a friend to a little brother, and that's pretty cool, to say the least.
ScreenRant: Oh, I love that! What is your relationship to Stephen King stories? What was your first King, and which one kind of sticks with you the most?
Rudy Mancuso: Stand By Me. I was very young, and my sister and I were obsessed with it. My whole family was obsessed with it. I didn't realize at the time that it was Stephen King, as I learned about King's work through cinema, and then I got to read a lot of the material. I couldn't f--king believe my eyes. It all started with Stand By Me, and then, of course, The Shining. Then the original IT TV movie, which I had a complicated relationship with. Then Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, and then later Carrie. It's actually the non-horror stuff, more of the dramatic Stephen King work that resonated with me the most, particularly Shawshank, The Green Mile, and Stand By Me. The Shining, even though it is a thriller, was more about psychological horror and less about monsters and supernatural beings. Then fast forward a few years, and I saw Andy and Barbara's It in 2017, and I couldn't f--king believe it. I'd never been so happy to be frightened, because it's a really beautiful film, and it's really sophisticated and elevated. IT isn't cheap antics and horror tricks, or sound design and jump scares for no reason.
ScreenRant: Andy and Barbara understand that material, and they're the proper shepherds.
Rudy Mancuso: I agree. You wouldn't assume it when meeting them because they're just so kind and soft and generous.
ScreenRant: What is your biggest fear that Pennywise would manifest himself as to you?
Rudy Mancuso: Spiders, man! I know it's a generic answer, but I will scream Cami's name and have her handle it when I see a spider on the wall. I'm not going near it — too many legs! And I know it's a popular fear, but it's very real. The arachnophobia for me is quite high, and it's one of the more irrational fears I have.
ScreenRant: What is your favorite scare on the show?
Rudy Mancuso: I'm not big on the jump scares, but I think disturbing and distorted imagery and faces are very scary. As far as the more direct or offensive scares, I'd probably say episode 2 with the mother in the bed who is attached to her daughter with the umbilical cord. When she jumped up from the bed and walked in that weird way and screamed, I was just like, "F--k me." But the less deliberate scare that really gets me was in episode 3, with the flashback of the kid in the carnival. When he goes inside of the fun house and, in the back room, there's the old man with a strange, bizarre physique in the corner. There's no music, there are no jumps, there's no sound effects, and it just seems to be saying, "Come closer. Come closer." That is arguably scarier to me.
Be sure to dive into some of our other IT: Welcome to Derry coverage with:
- Our Episode 5 Review
- Kimberly Guerrero & James Remar post-Episode 3 Interview
- A full guide to IT: Welcome to Derry's cast and characters
New episodes of IT: Welcome to Derry air Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on HBO, followed by HBO Max the day after.
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It: Welcome to Derry
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Horror Mystery Drama Release Date October 26, 2025 Network HBO Directors Andy Muschietti Writers Jason Fuchs, Stephen King, Austin Guzman Franchise(s) IT
8 Images
Dick Hallorann with his eyes wide looking angry in It Welcome to Derry
Bill Skarsgard's Pennywise in IT Welcome to Derry trailer 2Image courtesy of HBO Max
Kid similing in IT Welcome To Derry
It: Welcome to Derry teens looking surprised at something off screen
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Charlotte Hanlon
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Jovan Adepo
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