Before Pennywise, Bill Skarsgård Starred In One Of Netflix's First Original Series
Before It turned Bill Skarsgård into a modern horror fixture, the actor played a troubled young man in one of Netflix's earliest original series.
Before becoming the notorious Pennywise the Dancing Clown, Bill Skarsgård appeared in one of Netflix's earliest original series, Hemlock Grove. The Dutch-Swedish actor played the role of Roman Godfrey, a troubled teenager who teamed up with a werewolf to solve the mystery behind a series of gruesome murders in a Pennsylvania town.
Hemlock Grove premiered on Netflix in 2013 and starred Famke Janssen and Landon Liboiron. Bill Skarsgård, who grew up in an acting family, described his character as a victim in a lot of ways, despite the show's saturated genre and initial skepticism from the actor. Critics were not impressed with Hemlock Grove, which holds a low 38% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.
However, audiences appreciated the show more, giving it a respectable 64% on Rotten Tomatoes' Popcornmeter. Bill's performance as Roman Godfrey was praised by fans, with many highlighting his standout acting and the show's addictive nature. After Hemlock Grove ended, Skarsgård landed his career-defining horror role as Pennywise in It, followed by a return in It Chapter Two and a portrayal of Count Orlok in Robert Eggers' adaptation of Nosferatu.
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