“IT: Welcome to Derry” Stars Hail Strike as “Blessing” for Onscreen Chemistry!

Stephen Rider, the star of IT: Welcome to Derry, found an unexpected advantage during the Hollywood strikes that temporarily halted production.

In the HBO series, Rider portrays Hank Grogan, a movie projectionist who has been wrongly imprisoned. He shared how the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes gave him and his co-star, Amanda Christine (who plays Ronnie, his onscreen daughter), a chance to develop their relationship off-camera.

“We’re in constant communication. Amanda and I still chat regularly; she’s like family to me,” he revealed on The Official It: Welcome to Derry Podcast. “One of the silver linings of the strike was that it allowed us to deepen our bond. We spent a lot of time on FaceTime, just talking about everyday things, almost like she was my niece. It really helped us build a closer, more personal connection.”

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Rider elaborated, “We had just started filming when the strike commenced. Coming back to set after that, our relationship felt real and extended beyond just the two of us. Our families became close, and our interactions continued off set. I genuinely care for Amanda, and that’s not just acting. Naturally, I had to adapt those feelings because she isn’t actually my daughter. However, learning to genuinely care for and trust each other played a crucial role, especially in building her trust as a young Black woman. I made it a point to be someone she could rely on consistently, not only professionally but personally.”

Barbara Muschietti, the co-creator of the show, estimated that “90% of three episodes” were completed before the production pause due to the strikes, which posed multiple challenges for maintaining the continuity of the storyline.

“We suddenly found ourselves needing to adapt to different seasons,” she stated earlier. “Originally intended as a summer series, we had to switch gears and craft a finale suited for a different weather setting.”

Muschietti also mentioned, “The children were growing up, their voices changing. The schedules of the actors became very complicated. It was definitely a significant hurdle for everyone involved in the production.”

The industry-wide strikes concluded with the Writers Guild of America reaching a settlement with the AMPTP in September 2023, followed by a similar agreement with SAG-AFTRA in November of the same year.