A group of clowns in the U.S. worry that the depiction of monster clown Pennywise in 'It' will bring a lot of harm to clowning industry.
- Apr 7, 2017
AceShowbiz - "It" trailer, which featured a frightening and brutal depiction of clown monster Pennywise, has earned massive views since its release last March. However, despite the high expectations from moviegoers, the trailer sparks strong reactions from a group of real clowns in the U.S.
According to Mel Magazine, these clowns worried that the horror movie based on Stephen King's best-selling novel would result in another anti-clown paranoia in the country. They also worried that the movie would harm the clowning industry, which already drooped. "It's gonna be bad for clowns," said Guilford Adams, a 42-year-old resident in Los Angeles who has performed as Gilly the Clown for 20 years.
Nick Kane, who has Mr. Nick as his clown name, said, "It's ruining our business." The clowns later suggested that while they were meant to be an entertainer who brought joy in events such as birthday party, they thought that the depiction from media had somehow ruined their reputation.
The sentiment over clowns had actually surfaced last fall, when a group of people dressing as creepy clowns wandering all over the country to perform some pranks. Kane said that they "just experienced a nice break from the scary clown meme from last October. And just when things are starting to normalize, the 'It' trailer comes and it's like, 'Here we go again.' "
Adams then added about how "It" movie might make young audiences "turn away" from the entertainment offered by clowns. "It's a dying profession. And the people who do it and scrape together a living have to grapple with the fact that it's cool and hip not to like clowns," Adams said. "The ultimate prick in this ['It' movie] is that it's going to turn young consumers away from an art form that's sweet and nice and not about the Kardashians and 'Minecraft'," he added.
Directed by Andres Muschietti and based on Stephen King's novel, "It" follows seven children known as The Losers Club who have to face life problems, bullies and killer monster Pennywise. The clown monster haunts Derry, Maine, every 30 years and terrorizes its victims by exploiting their fears and phobias.
Back in 1990s, Pennywise was portrayed by Tim Curry on "It" miniseries. The killer clown will be portrayed by Bill Skarsgard in the upcoming movie and Muschietti promises that Skarsgard's take on the character will be "more terrifying."
"It" will be split into two movies, with the first movie being set to be released in the U.S. on September 8. The second movie, meanwhile, reportedly would start filming on March 17, six months before the release of the first film.
Also starring in the movie are Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Sophia Lilis and Javier Botet. Gary Dauberman, Chase Palmer and Cary Joji Fukunaga write the script based on King's novel.
