After âIt Chapter Twoâ and âStranger Things,â Finn Wolfhard is an accidental horror star
Finn Wolfhard has been having a great couple of years.
Since the 16-year-old Canadian actor broke out in Netflixâs sleeper hit âStranger Things,â heâs been heavily in demand for popular spooky franchises including Warner Bros.â 2017 mega-hit âItâ (which surpassed âThe Exorcistâ to become the highest-grossing horror film of all time domestically) and next monthâs animated âAddams Familyâ movie.
Next year heâll star in âGhostbusters 2020â and the horror remake âThe Turningâ based on Henry Jamesâ novella, âThe Turning of the Screw.â But the teenager insists his genre-heavy resume is purely circumstantial.
âI never liked horror up until I was like 10 years old,â he said. âA lot of it is coincidence that Iâve done [so much] horror. But I love horror because what makes a great horror movie is that itâs not just scary, itâs [a little of] everything. In a real-life horrifying situation thereâs always [some] comedy or something sad. I think thatâs in all the horror stuff Iâve done because I try to make it the realest [portrayal].â
This month, Wolfhard reprises his role as Richie Tozier in âIt Chapter Two,â which opens Friday and picks up on the second half of the Stephen King horror tome, and he has a supporting role in the decidedly non-horror drama âThe Goldfinch,â which opens a week later and is adapted from Donna Tarttâs 2013 novel. Although the projects couldnât be more different, in both films Wolfhard shares his character with an adult counterpart. Preparation with them varied.
âFor âThe Goldfinch,â Aneurin [Barnard] who plays older me was shooting first so I almost had to work off of him,â he said. âOur director John Crowley got soundbites from him and saved them so I could listen to them and [hear] how he spoke and what his mannerisms were.â
For âIt Chapter Two,â Bill Hader, whom Wolfhard has been a âhugeâ fan of since 2009âs âAdventureland,â plays an adult Richie. To prepare, the younger actor spent a few days hanging out with Hader but unlike with âThe Goldfinch,â it was mostly for Haderâs benefit. âI felt like he could just go back and watch the movie, watch what I did,â said Wolfhard with a shrug.
The Times caught up with Wolfhard during a press day for âIt Chapter Twoâ to talk about returning to Derry, playing a Russian expat in âThe Goldfinch,â the âStranger Thingsâ and âNeverEnding Storyâ connection, and what the future holds for the aspiring director.
I read that you got your first acting job from Craigslist. Had you always wanted to be an actor or did it just kind of fall in your lap?
Well, I kind of did the math in my head when I was like, 9. I was like, âWell, if I want to make filmsâ â because I want to be a director â âI could just go on a film set and learn there.â And then I ended up falling in love with acting and the set and making friends all the time. And so Iâve just been doing that ever since.
When would you like to branch into directing?
Hopefully in the next few years. Iâm trying to direct some shorts and I have some stuff written, so hopefully soon.
What kind of movies do you want to make?
Indies and lots of human stories. But comedies, totally. Iâd love to make a horror movie, thatâs definitely where I want to be one day.

âThe Goldfinchâ
Had you read âThe Goldfinchâ before being cast as young Boris?
I hadnât. I still havenât read the whole thing but I read my characterâs stuff.
What attracted you to the script?
Itâs like a classic â70s kind of film, just the subject matter of it, and itâs a real human story, which you donât get a lot of anymore. I mean you do, but a lot of them are watered down. This one is a really, really serious and true telling of what itâs like to grow up with loss. I just loved how unapologetic it was and how the characters were just so honest.
How did you prepare to do a Russian accent for the role?
We had a dialect coach named Christina who is originally from Russia that lives in New York now. And she just basically held my hand and took me through everything. It was really hard. But once I got it [down], it was like there was no character without the accent. So it made me kind of a better actor or at least a more prepared actor.
What other ways did you prepare?
We watched a lot of YouTube videos of Russian politicians and different people on BBC. Just listened to those guys and read some chapters of Russian literature so that we got the kind of flat, honest [delivery] of the character. And then [the dialect coach] took me through the Russian alphabet and what the sounds were. It was kind of a combination of a lot of things and just her telling me about her childhood.
âIt Chapter Twoâ
What were the differences in shooting the first âItâ and âChapter Twoâ?
Well, âItâ was just the kids, so it was like three months of hanging out every single day. âIt 2â we werenât in as much, but still had [to shoot] flashback scenes so it was the same experience, just kind of on a shorter scale. It was just as fun, just for less time.
Was it less creepy acting opposite Pennywise the second time around?
Honestly, itâs less creepy for us now because we know Bill [Skarsgard]. It was pretty creepy because we didnât know who he was when we first met him [on the set of âItâ] because they wanted to keep him away from us so that we could have an organic reaction [to his character].
What did it feel like returning to the role of Richie? Was it difficult getting back into character?
No, because Richie is kind of part of me now. I was basically just playing myself for a summer, so it was easy to kind of step back into it.
What was your reaction to the success of the first movie?
I didnât really care if it was a big hit or not because I had so much fun, but I was really pleasantly surprised.
âStranger Thingsâ
With the popularity of âStranger Things,â how long do you think the show will continue?
As long as [creators] the Duffer [brothers] keep liking to do it, in my opinion. Weâll go for as long as they want to go, which could be one, two or three [more seasons]. Itâs one of those things where itâs like the âHarry Potterâ [movies] where you want to see these kids grow up.
Whatâs the most and least fun thing about acting in movies and TV series that are set in the â80s?
Fun would be that you donât have to do a scene on your phone or anything â a lot of itâs just like talking to someone, which is great. Not that there are movies now where you donât talk to someone, but I mean itâs not as much [face to face]. Youâre more present. And I guess the least fun is being in short shorts, probably.
Do you think your character Mikeâs relationship with Elle (Millie Bobby Brown) will survive the move?
Oh, my God, I donât know. In between seasons, all the cast kind of forms their own little conspiracies on what happens to their characters, but I donât know. I think their bond at this point is so prominent that I donât know if it can just end because she moves. Thereâs got to be some more development for sure.
Were you upset that you didnât get to sing âThe NeverEnding Storyâ?
So upset. Everyone was so upset. [Laughs] No, it was so good. We all read that [scene in the script] and everyone was so happy. The fact that Dustin has a beautiful singing voice is the funniest subplot.
Do you think something could happen that could actually fracture the friend group? It was kind of touch and go for a while this season.
I think anything could fracture any friend group. But I mean at this point, these kids have grown up with each other. Theyâve gone through so much [together]. I guess weâll see. Itâs all about how we grow up, I guess.
Upcoming projects
Youâve done some voice acting for Netflixâs âCarmen Sandiegoâ TV series and up next as Pugsley Addams in MGMâs âAddams Familyâ animated feature. How do you like doing vocal work?
Itâs so funny. I think Iâm really bad at voice acting. But people hire me for it, so thank you! [Laughs] Itâs just really hard for me. Itâs way harder for me than acting because you can use your face and slur your words. But with voice acting you have to be clear.
What can you tell us about âThe Turningâ?
âThe Turningâ is a movie that I did in Ireland last year with Mackenzie Davis and Brooklynn Prince and itâs based on a short novella. Itâs about this governess who takes care of this family on this giant estate and she kind of starts to go crazy. Or is she going crazy? That is the question.
Would you ever want to join a blockbuster franchise like Marvelâs âAvengersâ or âStar Warsâ?
Oh, man. Yeah, of course, who wouldnât? I mean, Iâm really interested in doing indies but totally, if the situation arose, thatâd be cool.
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