Tim Curry Revealed Why He Hated His Creepiest Role: “I Loathed It”

Tim Curry may have given horror fans one of the most memorable performances of his career as Pennywise, but the actor never felt the same love for the character that audiences did.

Curry, who played the terrifying clown in the 1990 television adaptation of Stephen King’s It, opened up about the role in his memoir, Vagabond. According to People, Curry admitted that he still “loathes” Pennywise, although his feelings were not quite as simple as some of the stories surrounding the production have suggested.

For years, one of the most repeated stories about Curry’s time on It was that the clown makeup was so disturbing to him that he could not even look at himself in a mirror. Curry addressed that claim directly in his memoir and explained that the truth was a little less extreme.

He did not enjoy seeing himself dressed as Pennywise, but he said the story had been exaggerated over time.

“Not quite to the extent that I literally couldn’t look at myself in the mirror, as has often been reported, but I certainly didn’t delight in my reflection.”

That discomfort was real, though. Curry explained that he had mixed feelings when he was first offered the chance to play the killer clown. There was something about the character that made him uneasy, but at the same time, he was interested enough to take the part.

The role would eventually become one of the defining performances of his career.

Curry also wanted to clear up another misconception. His lack of public discussion about Pennywise over the years led some fans to believe that he deeply regretted taking the role. According to Curry, that was never really true.

He respected King’s story and believed the television adaptation was a strong piece of work. He simply did not consider Pennywise one of the most personally rewarding roles he had ever played.

“I haven’t had much to say about it publicly for many years, which many people misread as my carrying some sort of deep conflict about the role. That’s really not the case, but I didn’t revel in the role, either.”

He added, “I have great respect for Stephen King and think it’s a strong adaptation, but it wasn’t exactly a Stoppard experience. Nor did I expect it to be.”

Interestingly, Curry’s biggest issue with Pennywise may have come after the cameras stopped rolling.

In his memoir, he described some of the strange conversations he has had with fans over the years. People who approached him about the role generally seemed to fall into two groups. Some loved Pennywise’s evil side, while others wanted to tell Curry just how badly the character had scared them.

Some fans even told him that his performance had kept them awake at night or left them traumatized as children.

Curry understood why the character could have that effect, especially considering how frightening Pennywise was designed to be. But he admitted that he never really knew how to respond when someone told him that he had ruined their childhood.

“The majority of people who want to talk to me about being Pennywise are either notably odd people, who sort of revel in his evilness, or else they want me to know that I’ve really traumatized them, or made it impossible to sleep, or something of that variety.”

He continued, “But I’ve never really known how to respond to that. It’s not the most charming conversation starter, and invariably leads to a less-than-delightful discussion to navigate.”

Despite Curry’s complicated feelings toward the character, his Pennywise remains one of the most iconic horror performances of its era. Decades later, even after Bill Skarsgård took on the role for the modern It films, Curry’s version continues to haunt the memories of fans who first encountered the terrifying clown in 1990.

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