At Home, Pennywise Is Apparently One Very Unusual Parenting Voice
Imagine getting told off by Pennywise the Dancing Clown. For Bill Skarsgård‘s children, that possibility apparently comes with having one of horror’s most recognizable voices for a father. The actor has joked that his now-infamous interpretation of Pennywise sometimes emerges when he’s disciplining the kids. Just a little something to make the usual parental warning considerably more theatrical.
Speaking with Josh Horowitz on the November 5, 2026 episode of Happy Sad Confused, Skarsgård was asked whether his two children had ever heard the voice he created for Stephen King’s murderous clown. His deadpan answer? “Yeah, if they misbehave.” And Pennywise, it turns out, isn’t the only member of the household’s unexpected vocal cast.
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Pennywise Isn’t the Only Monster Invited Into Family Life
Skarsgård explained that the voices can slip in and out—and that Nosferatu can pop in as well. He then jokingly summed up his revolving collection of characters as a “schizophrenic daddy.” It’s the actor having a laugh about the extremes of his on-screen alter egos, not offering a serious description of himself or his children.
There’s a delicious contrast here. Skarsgård made Pennywise genuinely unnerving in It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019), then disappeared beneath the sinister transformation of Count Orlok in Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu (2024). To moviegoers, these are the faces of nightmare fuel. To their performer, they’re also a set of voices he can summon for a bit of mischievous family theater.
The Horror Star Is Thinking Beyond Playing Another Villain
The conversation had another interesting wrinkle: despite becoming so closely associated with formidable villains, Skarsgård said he isn’t necessarily hunting for another one. He wants roles that feel compelling and original rather than repeating a familiar transformation. That makes the parenting anecdote all the more amusing. The voices are now such a part of his repertoire that, apparently, he doesn’t even have to be on a film set to bring them out.
Skarsgård shares two children with longtime partner Alida Morberg. And while plenty of parents threaten to use their serious voice, few have spent years perfecting one that sends audiences running for the exits. We’d call that an unfair advantage—though the actor tells it with a grin.
The actor also discussed his enduring connection to Pennywise and the ways his horror roles have shaped what audiences expect of him. Whether the next character is terrifying or something altogether different, he seems determined not to become predictable.
Bill Skarsgård Jokes About Pennywise and His Kids on Happy Sad Confused
Sources: Happy Sad Confused, Bill Skarsgård, Vol. III (November 5, 2026); Entertainment Weekly.
