Bill Skarsgard Talks Like Pennywise and Nosferatu to Discipline His Kids

Bill Skarsgård has found an unusual use for his horror characters in his personal life: disciplining his children when they misbehave.

During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, hosted by Josh Horowitz, the actor revealed that he resorts to Pennywise's terrifying voice in these situations. "Yes, when they misbehave," he replied when asked if the children had already heard his interpretation of the clown.

He even joked that he can alternate between the characters: "He can appear, disappear, and then Nosferatu can emerge. There's a whole varied set of scary dads," he commented.

Skarsgård played Pennywise in the films It (2017) and It: Chapter Two (2019), adaptations of Stephen King's work, and reprised the role in the series IT: Welcome to Derry, released in 2025. Nosferatu is the name of the character he played in the 2024 film of the same name, directed by Robert Eggers, in which he portrayed the vampire Count Orlok.

The actor has two children with actress Alida Morberg and shared this story while discussing his family's relationship with Halloween.