Chris Chalk, known for his role in ‘It: Welcome to Derry‘, has revealed that a character from Stephen King’s ‘The Shining’ will appear in the new series, crossing over into the world of Pennywise the Clown, played by Bill Skarsgård.
You might recognize Chalk from his previous work on shows like Gotham, where he played Lucius Fox, Perry Mason as Paul Drake, and Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, where he portrayed writer and activist James Baldwin.
He’s joining the cast of the ‘It’ prequel series, ‘Welcome to Derry,’ and will play Dick Hallorann – a character fans will recognize from ‘The Shining’ and its follow-up, ‘Doctor Sleep,’ as a key figure in both stories.
It’s not surprising to find connections between Stephen King’s scary stories. Throughout his many novels, he’s included lots of hints and references suggesting they all take place in the same world.
The connection between the character Dick Hallorann and the town of Derry actually began in Stephen King’s 1986 novel *It*. The novel mentions that Hallorann, who later becomes a chef at the Overlook Hotel, helped start a bar for Black veterans called The Black Spot.
The building is destroyed by arson motivated by racial hatred. Dick bravely attempts a rescue, helping people escape the fire, including Will Hanlon, a local man and the father of Mike, one of the children terrorized by ‘It’.
Given the connections already made, Chalk recently shared at New York Comic-Con that he’s been playfully hinting at the reason Dick is involved in the story of ‘Welcome to Derry,’ responding to those who’ve wondered about his character’s presence.
He explained to Entertainment Weekly that the reason for the character’s presence in Derry is simple: he made a mistake. “If people question why he’s there,” he said, “it means they haven’t fully understood the story. It’s all about his errors, and the show makes that clear.”
The actor hinted that his portrayal of the character will be quite different in ‘Welcome to Derry.’ He explained that the character will undergo a transformation before becoming the kind and protective figure seen looking after Danny Torrance in ‘The Shining.’
Chalk described his character, Dick, as finding the people of Derry rather silly and lacking in substance. He doesn’t have any respect for them, and that forms a key part of Dick’s development throughout the story. The Dick we initially meet seems very friendly, but things aren’t always what they appear to be. Chalk jokingly wished his character good luck with navigating this internal conflict.
According to the actor, Dick Hallorann’s gruffness in the upcoming *Welcome to Derry* series comes from his fear of his own psychic powers and a constant worry about losing control of them.
Alongside Bill Skarsgård and Jay Chalk, the cast of ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ includes Taylour Paige (known for ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’), Jovan Adepo (‘3 Body Problem’), James Remar (‘Dexter: Resurrection’), and Madeleine Stowe (‘Revenge’), as well as other talented actors.
It: Welcome to Derry is coming to Sky Atlantic and NOW on Monday 27th October 2025.
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2025-10-13 17:48