See Bill Skarsgard’s Drastic Transformations for Spooky Roles

Bill Skarsgård knows how to get into character by drastically transforming into several spooky roles throughout his career.

Skarsgård cemented his role as a scream king when he portrayed Pennywise in the It film franchise. His filmography, however, was already filled with other horror projects including Netflix’s Hemlock Grove.

The actor, who played Roman, costarred alongside Landon Liboiron and Famke Janssen in the series, which was based on Brian McGreevy‘s 2012 novel of the same name. Hemlock Grove followed the strange — and supernatural — events that took place in a fictional town in Pennsylvania.

Skarsgård also made an impression when he landed a part in Castle Rock. In 2018, Skarsgård opened up about his decision to lose weight for the role so he could portray a character who is found after living in solitary confinement.

“I basically did the Keto diet. You get into ketogenesis and you just eat a lot of fat and no carbs,” Skarsgård exclusively told Us Weekly at the time. “I lose weight quickly. Before scenes, I would not drink water or eat for 24 hours. It does a lot. It changes your face.”

Skarsgård noted there was a specific meal he was excited to have after production wrapped, adding, “We shot a scene in the shower at block five. Even though it was episode one, we shot while shooting episode five so I’m like, ‘Well f—k, I need to stay skinny all the way up to the point.’”

He continued: “I didn’t eat for 24 hours. The day before, 24 hours before that, I had a salad and didn’t drink any water. So I was f—king skinny and parched. Then after that day of shooting, I wanted a beer and burger. I didn’t drink for three months, either, so I went to a shady dive bar and it was great.”

Skarsgård has remained devoted to his craft by going above and beyond for projects such as The Crow and Nosferatu.

Keep scrolling to see how Skarsgård transformed for most of his roles: