Stephen Rider on 'Welcome to Derry,' Denzel, and Chasing Big Dreams
Stephen Rider opens up about his journey to HBO’s 'It: Welcome to Derry,' his personal connection to the franchise, working with Denzel Washington, and the mindset that keeps him moving forward in Hollywood.
HBO ’s It: Welcome to Derry may be a prequel to a blockbuster adaptation, but it’s managed to carve out its own identity. While some viewers might tune in expecting Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise to steal the show, the series digs much deeper than just a killer clown. Set in 1962, the story follows Major Leroy Hanlon and his wife Charlotte as they settle into Derry, only to find the town hiding dark secrets. Amidst the chaos is Stephen Rider’s Hank Grogan, a local theater projectionist and devoted father, who finds himself accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Charlotte Hanlon becomes his only real supporter as the town unravels around them.
Andy Muschietti’s two It films raked in over a billion dollars, and the excitement hasn’t faded—Welcome to Derry premiered as HBO’s third most-watched debut ever. Rider is still taking it all in.
“It’s overwhelming,”
he shared.
“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. And it’s so cool to have, you know, the artwork that you’re seeing, the comments, and how people are really into it.”
He jokes about the #FreeHank movement and calls the experience surreal, grateful to be part of a show that’s become a pop culture moment.
Finding Fate in Derry
Rider’s connection to the It universe runs deep. He once auditioned for the role of adult Mike Hanlon in It Chapter Two, making it to the final round before the part went to Isaiah Mustafa. When Welcome to Derry came along, he felt a mix of fate and unfinished business.
“I would say a combination of all three,”
he reflected. Having worked with Muschietti before, Rider felt confident going into the audition.
“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 tape on a Friday and was reading lines in person by Tuesday.
“Definitely unfinished business,”
he said, admitting he got emotional when he landed the role. Muschietti had once emailed him, hoping they’d work together someday, and years later, it finally happened.
“I knew it was mine, as a matter of fact,”
Rider said, crediting a bit of destiny and his wife’s encouragement for the perfect timing.
Building Hank Grogan
The opening scene of Welcome to Derry is wild—demon babies, blood, chaos—but the show quickly shifts focus to its characters. Rider approaches his role with a grounded mindset, even as the world around Hank gets stranger by the minute.
“My uncle always said, ‘Don’t mix my business with your business,’”
he explained. His goal was to bring Hank and his family’s relationships to life, drawing from his own experiences and history. He dove into the era, understanding what it meant to be a Black man in 1962, and how that shaped Hank’s world.
“I had to do the dramaturgy and really understand the time of 1962, and the 1960s, and 1950s, and what was really going on to start to look at Hank.”
He believes Hank is braver than he is, living in extreme circumstances that push Rider to dig deep as an actor.
Rider even contributed to the set design, suggesting details for the Grogan family home to make it feel authentic.
“They’re also not Black people from the States. That’s not their world; that’s my world,”
he said, wanting to bring his own cultural background into the role. For him, it’s about making the character’s environment as real as possible, grounding the story in truth even as the supernatural takes over.
From Denzel to Daredevil
Rider’s career began with a bang, landing his first film role in 2007’s The Great Debaters, directed by Denzel Washington. He’d auditioned for Washington’s earlier film, Antwone Fisher, but didn’t get the part. Still, Washington’s advice stuck with him:
“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 that to heart, earning a full ride to UCLA before diving into acting. Washington’s mentorship and encouragement have been a guiding force ever since.
On TV, Rider checked off the classic rite of passage with a role on NCIS: Los Angeles, even while battling a real-life illness that fit his character’s hospital storyline. He later reached a wider audience as Blake Tower in Netflix ’s Daredevil and Luke Cage. With the Marvel shows now on Disney+, Rider is open to returning, but he’s focused on what’s next.
“I genuinely believe what’s cooking up in my life is going to be even bigger than that.”
Staying Focused and Dreaming Big
In a business full of uncertainty, Rider keeps his eyes on his own path.
“You can’t worry about what you don’t have,”
he said. He’s not distracted by industry changes or competition, choosing instead to focus on his own opportunities and growth.
“I’m going to work. I believe I’m about to work way more than I’ve ever worked in my life.”
As for dream roles, Rider’s ambitions are sky-high: starring in a prestige film, winning an Academy Award, and building lasting relationships with his cast.
“I don’t live in the past, and I’m not trying to replicate anybody else’s career. I think mine’s good enough.”