IT CHAPTER TWO Press Conference Highlights, Featuring Original Losers Club Members Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Jaeden Martell, Jack Dylan Grazer, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor, and Wyatt Oleff

Ever since the final moments of IT (2017) played out on the big screen a couple of years ago, fans everywhere have eagerly awaited the return of the Losers Club for IT Chapter Two. That wait is nearly over, as the sequel arrives in theaters tomorrow night, and to get you all ready, we’ve got some press conference highlights from the recent press day, featuring Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Jaeden Martell, Jack Dylan Grazer, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor, and Wyatt Olef.

When you put a group of kids together, there’s always a bit of chaos, but the beloved group of young actors discussed what they hoped their adult counterparts would connect with in terms of their respective characters, returning to play their roles for IT Chapter Two, and how much they relate to the Losers (if at all).

Look for IT Chapter Two to hit theaters this Thursday night and more coverage to come throughout the rest of the week, right here on Daily Dead.

Moderator: Everybody has heard the story about how you were compelled to write a letter to your older counterpart. I know that's like a private secret thing between actors, but for each of you, what was the most important thing you wanted your grown-up counterpart to pick up about the character?

Jeremy Ray Taylor: I think a giant part of Ben is his relationship with Beverly. My whole letter pretty much was about how Ben loves Beverly so much and he was okay with her not loving him back, as long as she knew that he would do anything for her. And that was the biggest thing.

Chosen Jacobs: For Mike, I think his character and his personality is all rooted in his love for his friends and his family. The main thing for him was, that's already a part of him, but he's not used to having friends and letting loose and being free. I was mainly just telling him that you have responsibilities, but still make sure to let your hair down sometimes and have fun, and love your friends and let yourself be vulnerable. That was my main thing.

Sophia Lillis: I think the most important thing about Beverly is the importance of her relationship with the Losers. Before she met any of her friends, she didn't really know what a healthy relationship was. So, after knowing the Losers, she realized there's more to life than her father. There are people who actually love her for who she is and she knew that she couldn't let them go, and I really wanted to convey that to Jessica [Chastain].

Finn Wolfhard: I just wrote a letter that said, "I hope you're famous when you grow up," basically. There was no advice or anything that I gave to Bill [Hader].

Jack Dylan Grazer: What I wrote was about what you see at the end of the first IT, where I transition out of the submissive Eddie thing and I stand up to my mom because I know my life has been a lie for a while. So I had to remind the adult version of myself, "Don't go back to that place. You have to stand your ground.”

Wyatt Olef: I don't really remember what I wrote, but I do remember saying something along the lines of make sure you keep these friends that you've made and stay true to yourself. Probably some boring stuff Stanley to Stanley, but I hope Andy Bean got some use of it.

Jaeden Martell: I think what defines Bill is the guilt that he feels and it often clouds his life—his guilt for Georgie's death and he feels responsible for things that happened to the Losers, too, because he's the one who really wanted to go into the sewers to find his brother. I wanted to make sure that older Bill didn't feel defined by that guilt and that he felt confident in himself and just not letting everything weigh down on him.

Moderator: Is there a part of yourself that you feel you were able to put into the character? Obviously you have the book, and you have the script, and you have Andy [Muschietti] giving you guidance, too. But what part of yourself do you put into each of these characters, if anything? Or are they totally different from you?

Finn Wolfhard: Well, at this point they're kind of like second nature to all of us, because we've been playing them for so long. It's second nature now, where we just slip into it, and people have been asking us, "Was that hard to get back into it?" And we're like, "Honestly it's kind of sad how nothing changed over that course of a year."

Sophia Lillis: Well, I think to get into my character, it takes time. I try to do it as naturally as possible, try to learn why she does these things and what's the reason behind her actions, and then slowly but surely after a few days of working on it, I start to add myself into the character—try to understand her and to become her. When I came back the second time, it was very nostalgic. I guess it was easier because I know Beverly, but at the same time it was a character I haven't been for a long time. I worked on other things and became other people that were unlike Beverly, so going back to her, it felt like it took a little while, but then I started to remember.

I really did look up to her when I first started. She is a really strong person, though she doesn’t really know it. I think that's the best part about her is that she doesn't know how strong she is and what she's capable of. Later on, when she starts to realize how important she is and how real she is, I feel like I've learned something from her and I soon realized that I could become someone like her.

Jeremy Ray Taylor: Well, I was going to add onto what Finn said. I totally agree with Finn, where I think almost it's a part of us more than we're a part of it, if that makes any sense at all. For me, it was pretty easy to tap back into it.

Chosen Jacobs: Especially with Mike, I definitely relate him to myself and then to people who have made me who I am. I think that's what acting is, is really taking a character, but then you're saying, "Oh okay, who would this be in real life?" Because that's the transformation between the fiction and the non-fiction of a character to where they feel real, like, "Oh that could be my uncle, that could be my sister, that could be my grandma."

Wyatt Olef: I want to say that I have more stuff in common with Stanley, but I'm going to be honest and say that I don't. I feel like he's a lot calmer and more reserved than I am. Bu that brings up an interesting aspect, not a challenge because it's not hard, but just to play a more reserved character and to take a back seat and be that pillar of the group that's more of a hidden pillar. I feel like that has transferred into my real life somewhat, where I want to support my friends in any way I can and be there for them, too.

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In case you missed it, visit our online hub to catch up on all of our IT Chapter Two coverage, including Heather Wixson's review!