James Ransone plays Eddie in It Chapter Two, taking over for Jack Dylan Grazer who played young Eddie in the first film and during flashbacks in this sequel. Speaking to James Ransone is, well, quite the experience! Instead of trying to explain – other than to point out he was tipped off before the interview that I like the movie The Cannonball Run – let’s just get on with the proceedings.
James Ransone: I heard you like The Cannonball Run.
Of all the movies I like that’s a strange one to pick.
Would that not be your go-to? Like who you are? Encapsulating you?
Well, I don’t…
But I’m more of a Smokey and the Bandit guy.
I love any movie about trying to get Coors from Texas to Georgia.
We need to bring back some of those movies, man.
You should pitch something that involves a CB.
They’re not going to listen to me. Hey Warner Bros., you like trucks? What was the Stephen King movie that he directed?
Maximum Overdrive.
Maximum Overdrive. I’m like, dude, we need to pitch a Southern version of Maximum Overdrive. Like a Kris Kristofferson mashup. You guys own all the rights to the Stephen King property. Here’s my idea.
People don’t realize how big a star Burt Reynolds was at the time for The Cannonball Run.
No, people don’t. He was fucking massive.
It would be like today if Tom Cruise did a movie like that.
This is what I’m trying to tell you, man! If this clown movie can parley me into the Dom DeLuise era of my career, I’ll fucking take that shit.
That’s your goal? Your goal is to be our new Dom DeLuise?
Yeah. I can just stand around and laugh at fucking Burt Reynolds. That sounds so awesome. I don’t give a shit. I’ll be there with spaghetti sauce all over my shirt.
Well, that’s all I have. This was great.
All right. Good to talk to you.
Here’s my transition into It Chapter Two.
Okay. I’m ready.
That Pennywise guy, he’s bad news.
Yeah. I’m not going to disagree with you. Hader and I talked about this, which is, if somebody called me to be like, “Will you come back?” I’d be like, “No, I’m just gonna deal with it.” There’s so much other bullshit, I’m not going back there. No, I’ll ride this out to the end.
When Jessica Chastain says the alternative is everyone will be dead within 27 years, it’s like that doesn’t sound terrible. Under the circumstances, I could accept that.
Yeah. I feel like I can live with that. If I get another 27 years, people will be like, “Oh, well, that was sad. He was little too young.” But nobody’s going to like freak out. I’m not going to make it on some millennial’s Instagram.
How much internet stuff did you read about Eddie before you did this? He’s a polarizing character.
I don’t care about any of that stuff. It’s just Eddie on the internet that is polarizing. Everything else on the internet is fine, except for Eddie.
Yes, the internet has come together to make their opinions on everything equal, other than Eddie. That’s the only thing people still argue about.
And the trade deal in China.
Well, I went down a rabbit hole reading Eddie opinions and it was fascinating.
Shit like that will just make me mad though. Because you’re going to pick a side, and you’re going to go, “These people don’t know what they’re talking about.” These other people are morons and then you’re doing the whole thing. You know? I can give you my best impression of what Jack Dylan Grazer’s had been doing. I will make the fans of the first one happy. That’s literally all I thought about.
When I say polarizing, I mean people are very interested in the relationship between Richie and Eddie. And obviously this movie explores that and I think that’s interesting.
Interesting. In what way?
Well, I think the movie certainly is less vague.
It’s actually not vague in the book.
Okay. I guess what I’m getting around to, do you do like how the movie presents it more than the book? The relationship between Richie and Eddie?
It’s sort of like… it’s more because I go, yeah, I like Bill Hader a great deal. And I liked working with Bill Hader a great deal. That part was really fun for me. And, to be honest, I’m actually not that good of an actor. And if I don’t like my costar, it’s very obvious.
I think you are a good actor. You fooled me.
I’m not that good, man. I promise. It’s pretty terrible.
So, recapping this, I feel like the only two things we definitely agree on was The Cannonball Run and that Pennywise is bad news.
He is bad news. Just don’t loan him money.
Well, there’s a third It movie right there. He starts borrowing money from people and never pays them back.
Oh, dude, we forgot about Every Which Way But Loose.
In the third It Pennywise also drives a truck with an orangutan.
I’ll play the monkey.
Pennywise is finally defeated by being punched in the face by the monkey.
The monkey is just not afraid of Pennywise. Clyde’s fearless. That’s right. He didn’t tap into it. So… the publicists here are yelling at me that I have to end this.
Yeah, I bet they are.
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