If you thought Bill Hader was only capable of being an ace comedian, you’re in for a massive surprise when you watch It: Chapter Two. The Emmy-winning actor is already getting rave critical reviews for his performance in the film, which releases on September 6. Hader has successfully dipped his toes in the horror genre and he’s giving credit to Stranger Things actor Finn Wolfhard for helping him get the part.
During a recent appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, he told the host that his agent had sent him a clip of Wolfhard in which the young actor said his dream casting for a grown-up version of his It character Richie Tozier would be Hader. It: Chapter Two takes place 27 years after the first and sees the grownup Loser’s Club return to Derry to take down the nefarious clown once and for all.
Like three months later, Hader got a call from his agent that the director that wanted to set up a meeting. His first thought was to naturally believe Wolfhard is a super powerful Joffrey Lannister—only he used his powers for good. Yes, he also does his best impression of the villainous Game of Thrones character as Wolfhard and it is unsurprisingly great.
Hader looks uncannily like the adult version of the bespectacled, loud-mouthed Richie and is the perfect choice to play this role. So, yeah, Wolfhard probably is a soothsayer. Or, as Fallon puts it, “this kid runs Hollywood.”
Plus he also shared how, as compared to co-star James McAvoy who does most of his own stunts, Hader instead had to rely heavily on his stunt double. While shooting a scene that required running away from the clown, the actor pulled his groin after sprinting for just four feet and had to get an ultrasound done.
It’s fine, he gets his dose of action on his acclaimed HBO show Barry, the second season of which scored a whopping 17 Emmy nominations this year, including three for Hader. He specifically discussed the fantastic midseason outing “ronny/lily” that he also directed. In the episode, hitman Barry and his boss Fuches (Stephen Root) are being chased by a young karate champion. Hader shares the details of how actress Jessie Giacomazzi was cast—her entire family, it turns out, is comprised of stunt people.
Anyway, if Barry season 3 decides to do a backstory episode for the Hader’s lead role, they know exactly whom to cast now.
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buddy it would be so cute if finn played barry as a child in an episode. but also a ‘young barry’ spinoff for hbo max sounds great*
*it sounds bad
I don’t know that Wolfhard looks like enough of a traditional disaffected-young-white-male-ready-to-be-turned-into-a-repressed-killing-machine-by-the-greatest-country-on-Earth trope, which is definitely a trope. It’s that very white kid who’s not quite a nerd, not quite a suspected future school shooter, and probably fairly decent at at least one sport (though he might not derive any joy from it,) but clearly just one or two bad breaks away from irreparable damage. Already kinda numb. Already lost and adrift, and not nearly as able to fake over it as other kids.
That kid from The End Of The Fucking World was decently close to a UK twist on it. I guess I’m not up enough on my stateside male child actors to offer up anything definitive. When he was the right age, McLovin could’ve pulled it off with a little bit of transformative acting (and workout regimen.) He would’ve had to have eased up on the post-nasal-drip aspect of his voice a bit.
One episode would be fun though! We can see Barry torture his first animal, piss the bed and set something on fire.
Who is young Stephen Root?
Who is young Stephen Root? Stephen Root. Because he’s that good.
I’m going to get obscure here but if my dream of a “Sparks” biopic ever becomes reality, Finn Wolfhard could play young versions of either Russell Mael or Ron Mael (maybe both!)
Okay, but what about Slab Bulkhead and Fist Rockbone’s contributions?
Big McLargehuge took credit for them, like he always does.
They should have put their faith in Blast Hardcheese.
They were dwarfed by Hugh Jass’s
Bill Hader moves like a modern Disney President in this interview.
So when that dude deepfakes this video will it be Finn Wolfhard’s face or Jack Gleeson’s?
Like three months later, Hader got a call from his agent that the director that wanted to set up a meeting.Like, what?
As if!
Bill Hader has told this story quite a few times (he tells the same stories many times, as all press junket people do I suppose). There was a funny premiere interview where he was asked if he got Finn a present – his response was that Finn was 16 and was doing great, he didn’t need anything. He then added, somewhat sarcastically, “My friendship.” Then there was another interview where Finn was asked if he wanted to grow up to be like Bill. He said that would be fine, but…Bill had gotten a divorce, so maybe not. All of this led to a hilarious quasi-stan war with some people who felt Bill was ungrateful and others that felt Finn had no manners, and that they must hate each other, and so on. Anyway, that’s way more than anyone cared about knowing on this topic. I’ll just leave with this interview between them, which is friendly, and also unnecessarily edited with overdramatic split screens that leave you waiting for the moment when Bill tells Finn they are actually father and son.
During a recent appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,Jimmy Fallon has hosted The Tonight Show for like 6 years. Hasn’t hosted Late Night since 2013.
The AV Club review is right that Chapter 2 is not very good and Hader dominates basically every seen he’s in. I’d note that James Ransome’s Eddie also gets a lot of jokes, although more on the receiving end.
“New York’s hottest club is IT! Millenial actor Finn Wolfhard is back
with an all-new club that answers the question “What
if It part 1 had a second part?” Don’t look for a bouncer – there
isn’t one. Instead the door’s guarded by adult versions of the child actors
from the first movie. And inside it’s just sick: with a nefarious clown, the
adult version of the bespectacled, loud-mouthed Richie, James McAvoy who does
most of his own stunts, and Bill Hader pulls his groin after running for four
feet…that’s where Bill Hader pulls his groin after running for four feet.” ~ Stefon, IT2 review
Finn is part of iGen, though? Millennial cut off is 1996. He was born in 2002.
Hader really doesn’t look like particularly like an older Finn Wolfhard any more than any white, brown haired, male does.