IT: Welcome To Derry Star Rudy Mancuso On Working With Andy Muschietti

by

Be warned, this contains spoilers for IT: Welcome to Derry, episode 5, “29 Neibolt Street”! In the latest episode of the Stephen King series, Pennywise has claimed another victim, though not directly shown. Despite this, the actor who portrays Pennywise will continue to work with the show’s creator, Andy Muschietti. The episode saw General Shaw and the military pinpoint Pennywise’s location – under the house at 29 Neibolt Street – and send soldiers to find him.

Okay, so when the soldiers were down in those creepy sewer tunnels, Pennywise really started messing with their heads. It wasn’t just jump scares, but full-on hallucinations. Like, poor Dick Hallorann saw his grandparents trying to get him to open some kind of mental box, and someone else had a terrifying vision of a demonic Uncle Sam! It really messed with Leroy Hanlon – I mean, he thought he was seeing his son and friends, and almost shot them! Luckily, Pauly jumped in front of the bullets. It was heartbreaking, but then Dick actually saw Pauly later as a ghost in the final moments of episode five of IT: Welcome to Derry. Seriously messed up stuff!

Before the episode aired, Ash Crossan from ScreenRant spoke with Rudy Mancuso about it. Mancuso, reflecting on his character’s death and leaving the series, said being a part of the “IT: Welcome to Derry” universe felt “really surreal.”

Rudy Mancuso doesn’t consider himself a traditional actor. He prefers acting in comfortable settings and collaborating with friends. He and Andy have a long-standing agreement to support each other’s projects – he appeared in ‘The Flash’ and ‘Welcome to Derry,’ Andy was in Mancuso’s film ‘Música,’ and will be in his next one as well.

Mancuso explained that he and co-creator Andy Muschietti learned a valuable lesson from another filmmaker: working with friends is always a good idea. He joked that while it can be challenging at times, it’s ultimately the most fulfilling experience you can have.

Making movies demands a lot of time and effort from everyone involved, and often requires people to push their boundaries to bring a story to life. That’s why it’s best to work with people you enjoy being around, like Muschietti. Mancuso also shared that his next project is a musical based on an idea from Andy, and Muschietti and his wife, Barbara, are producing it.

Rudy Mancuso shared an idea with me right before the pandemic started. He wasn’t sure how to develop it, so he asked if I could help. I thought I had a good plan, and we ended up collaborating on it together.

Mancuso explains that the “missing ingredient” in his new film is the music itself. He describes it as a unique blend – a musical that feels like a dark, psychological thriller. The filmmaker admits the movie will be both strange and surprisingly simple, and promises to share more details very soon.

Mancuso Knows Exactly How Pennywise Would Torment Him In Real Life

Brooke Palmer/HBO

During a conversation at the premiere, I asked about when he proposed to his fiancée – was it before or after the event?

Yeah, I definitely didn’t want to propose at the premiere of ‘IT’ because we weren’t engaged yet. You’re right to point that out. It actually happened just three days later. The premiere was early in the week – Monday or Tuesday, I think – and I proposed on Friday. It was a surprise to a lot of people, so I was sort of preoccupied with that while also trying to answer questions about the movie.

ScreenRant: Congratulations. How did you know she was the one?

I met Camila while filming a movie called Música. We both played versions of ourselves, and as we acted out scenes where our characters were getting to know each other, we actually started to connect personally too. It was a really interesting experience where the line between the movie and real life blurred. Falling for someone while pretending to fall for them on camera was incredibly special, something I never expected. To answer your question, I think we both realized it was something serious within the first week of filming.

ScreenRant congratulated the person on their good news and praised the series as fantastic. They then asked about how the person became involved with the show, specifically detailing the audition process and what initially drew them to the project.

I feel incredibly lucky to be so close with Andy and Barbara – they really are like family to me, and that’s not just something I say. We talk daily, constantly collaborate on projects, and always spend holidays together. It’s amazing how my relationship with them evolved – I started out as a fan, then became a friend, and now I feel like a little brother to them. It’s honestly pretty surreal and awesome.

The interviewer from ScreenRant expressed enthusiasm and asked about the interviewee’s connection to Stephen King’s work. They wanted to know which Stephen King story the interviewee first read and which one has had the biggest impact on them.

I grew up loving the film Stand By Me with my sister and the whole family. I didn’t know it was based on a Stephen King story at first, but I later discovered his work through movies and then started reading his books. I was blown away! It all began with Stand By Me, then The Shining, the original IT miniseries (which I had mixed feelings about), The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and eventually Carrie. Actually, I connected most with King’s more dramatic stories, especially Shawshank, The Green Mile, and Stand By Me. While The Shining is a thriller, it focused more on psychological horror than monsters. Years later, when I saw Andy and Barbara Muschietti’s IT in 2017, I was incredibly impressed. It was a beautifully made, sophisticated horror film, and I loved being scared by it. It wasn’t just cheap thrills or jump scares; everything felt intentional and well-crafted.

ScreenRant: Andy and Barbara understand that material, and they’re the proper shepherds.

I agree. You’d never expect it when you first meet them—they’re genuinely kind, gentle, and giving people.

ScreenRant: What is your biggest fear that Pennywise would manifest himself as to you?

Spiders are definitely my biggest fear! It’s a pretty common phobia, but I get genuinely terrified. If I see one on the wall, I immediately yell for my girlfriend, Cami, to deal with it – I’m not going anywhere near it with all those legs! It’s a totally irrational fear, but my arachnophobia is pretty intense.

ScreenRant: What is your favorite scare on the show?

I don’t really like cheap jump scares. I find disturbing images and distorted faces much more frightening. The scariest direct scare for me was in episode 2, with the mother in bed connected to her daughter. When she suddenly sat up and moved strangely while screaming, it really shocked me. However, the most unsettling moment was in episode 3, during the flashback of the kid at the carnival. When he enters the funhouse and sees the old man with a strange appearance in the back room, it was truly terrifying. There was no music or sound effects, just a silent invitation to get closer, and that was arguably scarier than anything else.

Be sure to dive into some of our other IT: Welcome to Derry coverage with:

  • Our Episode 5 Review
  • Kimberly Guerrero & James Remar post-Episode 3 Interview
  • A full guide to IT: Welcome to Derry‘s cast and characters

Read More

2025-11-24 22:44