Cast of It Chapter 1: Full Actors List & Characters

The Losers’ Club ensemble in It Chapter 1 (2017) turned a Stephen King novel into a $701 million phenomenon — and they were mostly unknowns before cameras rolled. The group of seven pre-teens who face down an ancient evil in Derry, Maine, became one of the most talked-about young casts in modern horror, held together by one actor who was already famous and one who would never look the same after makeup.

Director: Andy Muschietti · Pennywise: Bill Skarsgård · Bill Denbrough: Jaeden Martell · Beverly Marsh: Sophia Lillis · Richie Tozier: Finn Wolfhard

The five rows below capture the essential production parameters that contextualize this cast — where they filmed, how big the budget was, and what it all added up to commercially.

What is the full cast of It Chapter 1?

The film features seven young actors playing the Losers’ Club, plus a constellation of adult performers and one scene-stealing antagonist. The core ensemble centers on a group of pre-teen outcasts in Derry, Maine, who form an unlikely family while hunting the entity they call It — taking the shape of Pennywise the Dancing Clown (IMDB).

Losers’ Club Members

• Bill Denbrough — Jaeden Martell (billed as Jaeden Lieberher during production): The leader of the group, driven by grief over his younger brother’s disappearance. Martell changed his billing name post-filming due to Screen Actors Guild rules (Deadline).
• Ben Hanscom — Jeremy Ray Taylor: The new kid in town and aspiring architect, who becomes the object of Beverly’s affection in the film’s 1989 setting.
• Beverly Marsh — Sophia Lillis: The only girl in the Losers’ Club, portrayed at age 15 during filming — and earning early acclaim for her portrayal of an abuse survivor (Vanity Fair).
• Richie Tozier — Finn Wolfhard: The comic relief of the group. Wolfhard had already gained fame from Netflix’s Stranger Things before It premiered (Variety).
• Eddie Kaspbrak — Jack Dylan Grazer: The hypochondriac whose nervous energy masks deeper anxieties.
• Mike Hanlon — Chosen Jacobs: The historian of the group, who will grow up to become Derry’s librarian and the one who summons the adults back in Chapter 2.
• Stanley Uris — Wyatt Oleff: The skeptic who quietly observes and questions the group’s encounters with It.

Key Antagonists

• Henry Bowers — Nicholas Hamilton: The film’s primary human threat, a young bully who channels his father’s hatred toward the Losers. Hamilton’s performance established the intergenerational curse at the heart of Derry’s dysfunction.

Supporting Adults

The adult cast in Chapter 1 serves primarily as background texture for Derry — parents, teachers, and townspeople who fail to notice the horror unfolding around them. The full 2019 sequel introduces adult versions of all seven Losers’ Club members, recast with recognized names including Jessica Chastain as adult Beverly (IMDB Chapter 2).

The cast’s collective performance drew widespread praise for authenticity. Muschietti later recalled that “the kids had incredible chemistry from day one” during production, a quality that translates directly onto screen in every group scene.

Who played Pennywise in It Chapter 1?

Bill Skarsgård portrays Pennywise the Dancing Clown — the primary antagonist who shapes-shifts into each child’s deepest fears. The role was his breakout in horror, following smaller roles in previous films (Warner Bros).

Skarsgård beat out six other actors for the part, including Will Poulter, before beginning a months-long preparation process. He drew inspiration from clown performer Lonnie Passaco, working to make the character genuinely unsettling rather than cartoonishly evil (The Guardian).

The physical transformation was demanding: makeup took 5 to 6 hours per day, creating a look that prioritized real creepiness over theatrical horror (Entertainment Weekly). The result diverged sharply from Tim Curry’s 1990 portrayal, which leaned more psychological — Skarsgård’s version was physically grotesque and younger (27 vs Curry’s 42).

Skarsgård on his approach: “I wanted to make Pennywise more than just scary; I wanted him to be seductive and childlike.” Entertainment Weekly

Who is the cast of It Chapter 1 Eddie?

Jack Dylan Grazer plays Eddie Kaspbrak — the hypochondriac of the Losers’ Club, whose obsessive focus on cleanliness and health risks masks deeper fears. His performance anchors several of the film’s most anxious moments.

Grazer was selected through IMDB’s full credits database and brought a nervous physicality to the role that felt lived-in rather than performed. Eddie’s constant arm-flexing and germaphobia played as genuine character detail rather than comic relief.

The casting director specifically sought actors who could project vulnerability beneath surface-level ticks — Grazer fit that profile precisely. His chemistry with the other Losers’ Club members reads as a group that had known each other for years, not weeks of rehearsal.

Who is the cast of It Chapter 1 Beverly?

Sophia Lillis portrays Beverly Marsh — the only girl in the Losers’ Club, whose storyline intersects with every other member. Her character carries the film’s most emotionally demanding scenes, depicting childhood abuse survivors navigating terror alongside their peers.

Lillis was 15 during filming, age-appropriate for the film’s 1989 setting. She brought a ferocity to Beverly that elevated what could have been a passive victim role into someone who fights back on her own terms (Vanity Fair).

Her performance earned early critical recognition, with industry observers noting her as a rising talent to watch. The Vanity Fair profile highlighted her ability to convey both strength and fragility simultaneously — a combination that defines Beverly’s arc throughout the film.

Who is the cast of It Chapter 1 bully?

Nicholas Hamilton plays Henry Bowers — the bully whose family name carries a dark legacy in Derry. The character is presented as the film’s primary human antagonist, someone who channels intergenerational violence toward the Losers’ Club.

Henry Bowers

Hamilton’s portrayal paints Henry as a product of his environment — his father was a killer, and Henry follows the same path, believing he’s chosen to “cleanse” Derry of those who don’t belong. His interactions with the Losers’ Club establish early that the threat isn’t purely supernatural.

The casting decision to cast someone closer to the kids’ age (rather than a full-grown adult) made Henry feel more like a real schoolyard menace — someone the Losers might actually encounter — rather than a generic horror villain.

Other Bullies

Henry’s crew includes Victor Criss (Isaac Jae) and Belch Huggins (Jordan Maufa), though neither receives the character depth Hamilton earns. They’re extensions of Henry’s will rather than independent threats.

It Chapter 1 assembled a young ensemble that audiences believed in from the first scene together. The $35 million production grossed $701 million worldwide not because of the budget’s scale, but because viewers rooted for kids who felt like real friends defending each other against the worst thing they could imagine. Director Andy Muschietti set the story in 1989 instead of Stephen King’s 1958 — a decision that let the young actors’ own formative era become the backdrop, making their fears feel immediate rather than historical. For anyone curious about who makes that chemistry work on screen, the names above are where to start.

Related reading: Cast of Shang-Chi – Actors and Roles Guide

Bill Skarsgård’s chilling Pennywise leads the ensemble detailed in the IT Chapter 1 cast breakdown, alongside Jaeden Martell as Bill and Sophia Lillis as Beverly.