When It hit theaters in 2017, a new generation of fans—ones who hadn’t read the Stephen King novel or seen the 1990 miniseries—may have expected a simple horror movie about a kid-murdering clown. Instead, they got an unsettling look at the intense pain and fear that develops from childhood trauma via the Losers’ Club, a group of kids (Bill, Richie, Ben, Mike, Eddie, Stanley, and Beverly) who face their personal demons head on in the form of “It,” a creature that shape-shifts itself into its opponents’ worst nightmares.
The sequel It Chapter Two, now in theaters, picks up 27 years later. The Losers’ Club may have defeated Pennywise two decades ago, but they’re still dealing with the effects. Bill (James McAvoy), a successful-ish author, is haunted by guilt over his brother’s death. Ben (Jay Ryan) has transformed into a hot architect still pining over his childhood crush. Though Richie (Bill Hader) turned his wise-cracking personality into a stand-up career, he’s without love, family, or friends who aren’t employees. Mike (Isaiah Mustafa) gave up his dreams to stay in Derry and obsess over Pennywise. Eddie (James Ransone) remains a hypochondriac, but he’s replaced his overbearing, emotionally abusive mother with an overbearing, emotionally abusive wife. Only Stanley (Andy Bean), now a wealthy accountant with a happy marriage, seems to be centered…that is, until Mike calls with the news that Pennywise is back.
And then there’s Beverly, the only female member of the Losers’ Club. She was abused by her father growing up; now, she’s in an abusive marriage. When Mike calls about Pennywise’s return, though, something switches. Beverly packs a bag, ready to book the first flight to Maine. Her husband catches her in the act, accuses her of cheating, and physically assaults her. It’s clear this isn’t the first attack—but this time Beverly fights back. On her way out the door, as her husband nurses his wounds and shouts after her, she pointedly leaves her wedding ring on the front porch.
For Jessica Chastain, who plays adult Beverly, this scene was important to get right. It’s the first time we’re re-introduced to Beverly, and Chastain had to convey what might have happened to the character in the 27-year gap since we’ve last seen her.
“I had to think about Beverly’s journey, in terms of the pattern that she kept repeating,” she tells me about preparing for It Chapter Two. “In terms of what she thought love was supposed to be—that it was something that was supposed to be conflicted and difficult and painful and abusive in some sense. She didn’t really understand what love truly could be. That’s where I started with this character. Twenty-seven years of repeating the same pattern.”