Eddie Kaspbrak

Edward "Eddie" Kaspbrak is a fictional character created by Stephen King[1] and one of the main characters of his 1986 novel It. He is a hypochondriac[2] member of "The Loser's Club" with an overbearing mother.[3] He is portrayed in the 1990 miniseries adaptation by Adam Faraizl as a child and by Dennis Christopher as an adult; and by Sumeet Goradia as a child and Amit Mistry as an adult in the 1998 television series. He was later portrayed in the 2017 remake and its 2019 sequel by Jack Dylan Grazer as a child and James Ransone as an adult.[4][5]

Eddie Kaspbrak
It character
First appearanceIt (1986)
Last appearanceIt Chapter Two (2019)
Created byStephen King
Portrayed by1990 miniseries:
Adam Faraizl (child)
Dennis Christopher (adult)

1998 television series:
Sumeet Goradia (child)
Amit Mistry (adult)

2017 film and 2019 sequel:
Jack Dylan Grazer (child)
James Ransone (adult)
In-universe information
Full nameEdward Kaspbrak
Nicknames
  • Eds
  • Eddie Spaghetti
  • Girly Boy (by Henry Bowers and Pennywise)
  • Wheezy (by Pennywise)
  • My Love (by Richie Tozier)
Occupation
  • Limo Driver (Novel & miniseries)
  • Risk Analyst (2019 sequel)
Family
  • Sonia Kaspbrak (mother; deceased)
  • Frank Kaspbrak (father; deceased)
  • Richard Tozier (Husband)
HomeDerry, Maine, United States
Manhattan, New York, United States

Fictional character biography

Edward "Eddie" Kaspbrak was born on the 2nd of November, 1976, the son of Frank and Sonia Kaspbrak. His father died when he was young, resulting in his mother becoming strict and overbearing with her son, causing him to grow up to become a hypochondriac. Eddie becomes friends with The Loser's Club members Bill Denbrough, Stanley Uris and Richie Tozier – the latter of which often teases Eddie due to his hypochondria and overbearing mother.[6] He eventually met and became friends with future Loser's Club members Ben Hanscom, Beverly Marsh and Mike Hanlon. Each member of The Loser's Club have individual encounters with Pennywise the Dancing Clown, including one encounter that resulted in Eddie breaking his arm.[2] The group eventually goes to face Pennywise, which causes Eddie to finally stand up to his mother beforehand. The group seemingly defeats the clown and make an oath that if Pennywise isn't defeated, they will all return to Derry to defeat it once and for all.[7]

As an adult, due to the nature of Pennywise and Derry, Eddie forgets his childhood, The Loser's Club, Richie and his mother. He becomes a limousine driver[2] and ends up marrying a woman very similar to his overbearing mother named Myra.[8] After the death of Adrian Mellon, Eddie gets a call from Mike Hanlon asking him to return to Derry. Eddie reunites with Richie and the rest of the Loser's Club and each have individual encounters with Pennywise. The group eventually return to Neibolt Street and face off against Pennywise for one final time. Eddie ends up causing damage to Pennywise, but is instantaneously killed by the monster, dying in Richie's arms asking him not to call him "Eds". Eddie's death motivates The Loser's Club to defeat Pennywise once and for all.[9]

Adaptations

Eddie was portrayed in the 1990 miniseries adaptation by Adam Faraizl as a child and Dennis Christopher as an adult. This adaptation remains fairly faithful to the novelisation, including and up to his death; the one exception is that Eddie never married in this version. Eddie was portrayed by Sumeet Goradia as a child and Amit Mistry as an adult (named "Ronnie") in the 1998 television series.

Eddie was again portrayed in the 2017 remake and its 2019 sequel by Jack Dylan Grazer as a child and James Ransone as an adult. In this adaptation, his mother is depicted as being severely obese and even stricter with Eddie than in the novel and miniseries. It is also revealed that the pills that Eddie has to take are placebos, which leads to Eddie standing up to his mother before the final confrontation with Pennywise, and throwing aside his fanny pack full of medicine before retrieving it in the sequel's flashback sequence.[10] In the sequel, Eddie is a risk assessor married to a woman resembling his mother. His story is similar to the novel with the exception that he does not kill Henry Bowers.

Relationship with Richie Tozier

In King's novel, Eddie's relationship with Richie is seen as being purely platonic, and Richie simply enjoys making fun of Eddie and his hypochondria. Despite Richie's jokes, the two are in fact close friends, this is seen at the end of the novel when Richie is devastated by Eddie's death.

In It Chapter Two it is confirmed that Richie is secretly in love with Eddie, with it being implied that he is a closeted homosexual. It is unknown if Eddie returned Richie's feeling or not, as judged by Richie having carved his and Eddie's initials into the kissing bridge where Ben Hanscom was attacked by Henry Bowers in the first instalment. Some fans have interpreted Eddie as bisexual, as, in the book and 2019 film, he is married to a woman named Myra. However, other fans have interpreted Eddie as a closeted gay man who fell into a cycle of abuse, as in the book Eddie shows no romantic or sexual interest in Myra and views her as an extension of his mother. Andy Muschietti has stated that it is up to the viewer to interpret Eddie's sexuality and whether he reciprocated Richie's feelings or not. [11][12]

Reception

The portrayal of Eddie in the 2017 film and 2019 sequel by Grazer and Ransone was widely praised by critics and audiences. The chemistry between Grazer and Finn Wolfhard in Chapter One and between Ransone and Bill Hader in Chapter Two was applauded by fans and critics. Critics called Eddie's death scene heartbreaking.[13][14][15]

References
  1. "There's a Cameo in 'It Chapter Two' that's pretty damn perfect". Popsugar. September 25, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  2. Weiner, Neil; Robinson Kurpius, Sharon E. (1995). Shattered Innocence: A Practical Guide for Counseling Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse, 1st Edition. ISBN 9781560323471.
  3. Wood, Rocky, ed. (2011). Stephen King: A Literary Companion. McFarland. p. 74. ISBN 9780786458509.
  4. "'It: Chapter Two' Writer Explains Eddie's WTF Memory and "Power" of Belief". Inverse. September 8, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  5. "This 'It: Chapter Two' Actor Was Almost In 'Chapter One'". Showbiz Cheatsheet. September 3, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  6. Lant, Kathleen Margaret; Thompson, Theresa (1998). Imagining the Worst: Stephen King and the Representation of Women. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313302329.
  7. "Every Character Returning in 'IT Chapter Two'". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  8. Magistrale, Tony (1992). The Dark Descent: Essays Defining Stephen King's Horrorscape. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313272974.
  9. "How Eddie Dies in IT (Novel and Miniseries)". ScreenRant. 2019-04-09. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  10. "It Chapter Two's James Ransone on making a horror movie for the YouTube generation". Polygon. 2019-09-06. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  11. "Bill Hader Discusses Richie Tozer's Secret in 'It: Chapter Two'". The New York Times. 2019-09-06. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  12. "Stephen King Champions 'It: Chapter Two' Gay Character Surprise: "Kind Of Genius"". IndieWire. 2019-09-10. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  13. "It Chapter Two disgusting scene shock: Choking star almost fainted 'I couldn't breathe'". Express.co.uk. 2019-09-12. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  14. "Stephen King Watched This 'It: Chapter Two' Scene Being Filmed". Showbiz CheatSheet. 2019-09-04. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  15. "The Best Performances In Stephen King Adaptations, Ranked". ScreenRant. 2019-08-22. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
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