Stephen Rider on Derry, Destiny, and Denzel: A Journey Unfolds
Stephen Rider reflects on his role in HBO’s ‘It: Welcome to Derry’, his near-miss with the franchise, working with Denzel Washington, and the philosophy that drives his career.
HBO’s latest foray into the world of Stephen King, It: Welcome to Derry, might not sound like a hotbed of innovation—being a prequel to a two-part adaptation of a novel that’s already seen the screen more than once. Yet, the series has managed to carve out its own identity. Those tuning in for a full dose of Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise may find themselves surprised, as the focus lies elsewhere. Set in 1962, the story follows Major Leroy Hanlon and his wife Charlotte as they settle in Derry, only to discover the town is far from ordinary. Amidst vanishing children and unsettling visions, Stephen Rider’s Hank Grogan, a projectionist and family man, finds himself wrongly accused and imprisoned, with Charlotte as his only real supporter.
Andy Muschietti’s previous It films raked in over a billion dollars, and the appetite for the franchise remains strong—Welcome to Derry launched as HBO’s third most-watched premiere. Rider is clearly delighted by the response.
“It’s overwhelming,”
he shared, adding,
“We had a feeling that we have something special on our hands. But, I know that the audience is always the last character in everything that you do, and so it really comes down to whether or not people like it.”
He’s amused by the affection for his character, noting,
“They love the Hanlons and the kids, just everybody, even Hank. Like, #FreeHank, or whatever. It’s surreal.”
Finding Fate in Derry
Rider’s connection to the It universe runs deeper than most realise. He previously auditioned for the role of adult Mike Hanlon in It Chapter Two, only to narrowly miss out. When Welcome to Derry came along, he felt a sense of destiny.
“I would say a combination of all three,”
he mused, when asked if it felt like fate or unfinished business. His earlier experience with Muschietti gave him confidence during the audition process.
“I felt like I had an authority, because I knew something that, probably, a lot of people auditioning didn’t know.”
He sent in his audition tape on a Friday and was reading lines in person by Tuesday.
“Definitely unfinished business,”
he admitted, recalling the disappointment of missing out on Chapter Two but recognising that Hank was the role he was meant to play.
After his initial audition, Muschietti sent him a heartfelt email, expressing hope they’d work together in future. Rider wasn’t sure what to make of it at the time, but when Welcome to Derry materialised, he was determined.
“I’m going, ‘This is mine’. I knew it was mine, as a matter of fact,”
he said, crediting his wife’s encouragement and a bit of serendipity for the timing. Muschietti remembered him, apologising for the earlier near-miss, and Rider now sees it as destiny fulfilled.
Portraying Hank: Realism Amidst the Supernatural
The opening of Welcome to Derry is nothing short of wild, but the series quickly shifts to character-driven drama. Rider approaches his role with a focus on authenticity, even as the world around Hank grows increasingly bizarre.
“My uncle always said, ‘Don’t mix my business with your business,’”
he explained, likening acting to a team sport where each person must play their part. For Rider, the challenge was to reveal Hank’s humanity and his relationships, especially with his family.
He drew on personal and cultural history to ground his performance, noting the differences between the 1960s and today.
“In 1962, he didn’t have a choice to find and do what he loved to do, right? It’s just not the case. We come from a generation now, where we get to do what we love to do, but our parents and our grandparents did what they had to do.”
Rider also contributed to the set design, suggesting details that would make the Grogan home feel authentic.
“They’re also not Black people from the States. That’s not their world; that’s my world,”
he pointed out, emphasising the importance of cultural accuracy in creating a believable environment.
Career Milestones and Philosophy
Rider’s career began with a feature film debut in The Great Debaters, directed by Denzel Washington. He speaks warmly of Washington’s influence, recalling advice that shaped his path:
“You have something, but you need to go to school and get your tools, because once you have your tools, people can’t take them away from you.”
Rider took this to heart, earning a scholarship to UCLA before pursuing acting in earnest. Washington’s support has been a constant, with Rider crediting him for launching his career.
On television, Rider’s early roles included a stint on NCIS: Los Angeles, which he describes as a rite of passage for American actors. He later found a wider audience as Blake Tower in Netflix’s Daredevil and Luke Cage. While open to returning to the role, Rider is more focused on future opportunities.
“I genuinely believe what’s cooking up in my life is going to be even bigger than that.”
Outlook and Aspirations
Rider remains unfazed by the shifting landscape of film and television, preferring to concentrate on his own journey.
“You can’t worry about what you don’t have,”
he remarked, choosing to focus on abundance and possibility rather than scarcity. He has no specific dream role, but rather a dream:
“It would be me starring in a film, a prestige film, that ends up becoming an Academy Award winner, in which I win an Academy Award.”
For Rider, it’s not about replicating anyone else’s path, but forging his own.