IT: Welcome to Derry’s Arian S. Cartaya Reveals When He Knew THAT Twist

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Be warned, the following contains spoilers for Season 1 of IT: Welcome to Derry. The creators of the Stephen King series made it clear from the very first episode that any character could die. They proved this by quickly eliminating key characters, and confirmed no one was safe throughout the season. While viewers knew this intellectually, they still weren’t prepared for the shocking death of young Rich Santos (played by Arian S. Cartaya) in the tragic fire at The Black Spot during Episode 7.

In a recent interview with ComicBook, Arian S. Cartaya discussed the making of the series and his reaction to learning about his character, Rich’s, storyline. He also shared a surprising connection to Stephen King and revealed when he understood the significance of his character within the broader ‘IT’ universe.

IT: Welcome to Derry’s Rich Reveals How They Made the Series

Cartaya didn’t find out what happened to his character, Rich, until he read the script for episode seven, “The Black Spot.” However, the show’s creators, Andy and Barbara Muschietti, had previously met with him to explain the entire storyline in detail.

Cartaya recalled the moment they discussed it. “I believe it was shortly after we received the script,” she said. “I was reviewing it, and when I got to episode seven, I had a meeting with Andy and Barbara. They brought it up during our conversation.”

During that meeting, Cartaya shared that Andy Muschietti confirmed a popular fan theory: Marge would eventually have a son named Richie Tozier, in honor of him.

He confirmed they had discussed it during the meeting about The Black Spot project. He said he was assigned some of the work, and it’s now been officially confirmed.

Cartaya shared that he felt somewhat relieved after speaking with the Muschiettis, learning his character wouldn’t be directly killed by Pennywise. This aligned with the story, as Rich hadn’t shown the same level of fear towards IT as the other children. However, Cartaya also had his own unique thoughts on the matter.

Cartaya admitted to being incredibly frightened while filming with Bill Skarsgård, who played Pennywise. While Rich wasn’t scared, Cartaya was terrified. He recalled hearing Skarsgård prepare for the role from off-camera – the warm-ups and movements were both impressive and deeply unsettling.

Working with Bill Skarsgård on the set of ‘IT’ was a completely new experience for Cartaya, as it was the first time he’d ever seen Pennywise in any version. He later revealed that before filming, he hadn’t read any Stephen King books, watched any King movies, or seen any previous adaptations of ‘IT’. However, the cast bonded by watching the original 1990 film together before they began shooting.

I was really scared when I first saw ‘It.’ I had just turned ten and was terrified of clowns and anything frightening. I specifically remember the scene where Pennywise bites Georgie’s arm. I was sitting with my friends in the front row and called for my mom, who was further back. I told my friend Blake to move because my mom was coming, and I was really frightened.

Interestingly, Cartaya discovered that learning the behind-the-scenes process of filmmaking actually made him less scared of horror movies.

Seeing Pennywise up close was so terrifying, I don’t think anything will ever scare me again.

IT: Welcome to Derry Season 1 is now streaming on HBO Max.

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2025-12-15 06:40