HBO’s new series, IT: Welcome to Derry, serves as a gripping prequel to two of Stephen King’s iconic works: It and The Shining. In the second episode, a significant character from The Shining is formally introduced, a character who had made a subtle appearance in the premiere, driving a military jeep.

**Spoilers ahead for Episode 2 of IT: Welcome to Derry, now available on HBO Max**

In Episode 2, it is revealed that Chris Chalk, known for his role in Perry Mason, portrays a younger Dick Hallorann. This character was famously brought to life by Scatman Crothers in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film adaptation of The Shining and later by Carl Lumbly in Mike Flanagan’s Doctor Sleep.

In The Shining, Dick Hallorann is the head chef at the Overlook Hotel. He plays a crucial role in guiding Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd) around the hotel’s kitchens, explaining its inner workings. Hallorann possesses a telepathic ability known as “the shine,” which allows him to communicate with Danny. During a heartfelt exchange, he teaches Danny that both people and places can possess this shine. He warns that the Overlook Hotel also shines, but its glow is tainted by the horrific events that haunt its history.

Hallorann’s presence extends into the world of Stephen King’s It, where he is part of a harrowing backstory. As King narrates, during one of Pennywise’s (Bill Skarsgård) reigns of terror, a devastating race massacre occurs in Derry, culminating in the destruction of a bar named the Black Spot. This establishment was a haven created by Hallorann and fellow Black soldiers. Using his extraordinary abilities, Hallorann managed to locate and rescue a handful of survivors from the blaze. This pivotal incident is a cornerstone of IT: Welcome to Derry’s inaugural season, setting a tense and dramatic stage for the unfolding narrative.

In IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 2, we learn more about why Dick is in Derry in the first place. He’s part of General Shaw’s (James Remar) Operation Precept. It’s the military’s bananas plan to find the mysterious force known as “It” to use it as a weapon in the Cold War. Dick’s supernatural powers are being used to help locate Pennywise.

“We look at this show as so many things, but one of them certainly is a Dick Hallorann origin story,” IT: Welcome to Derry co-showrunner Jason Fuchs told DECIDER. “You’re seeing him in an earlier moment in his life and in his journey. He’s not the man you meet in The Shining. He doesn’t have control over his abilities yet in the way that he one day will.”

“And the Dick Halloran that we meet in The Shining, the one we all know and love, is a mentor. You know, his story exists to guide, you know, to guide Danny Torrance, essentially,” IT: Welcome to Derry co-showrunner Brad Caleb Kane said. “But the Dick Hallorann that we meet in Welcome to Derry, he exists for Dick alone.”

IT: Welcome to Derry star Chris Chalk revealed that the best part of playing the young version of Dick Hallorann was that he wasn’t the sweet man we meet in The Shining.

“Dick’s not nice,” Chris Chalk said. “This version of him, he’s not nice. He’s a dick, you know what I mean? The way he is willing to weasel through things is different.”

“As he gets older and more mature… One, he has a better control over his power, but he’s learned how to isolate himself correctly. Dick’s way of isolating is to, like, actively hurt or push people [away] when he’s younger,” Chalk said. “So it’s fun to play a more like antagonist [version of the character]. Since I’m antagonistic, it’s cool to bring that antagonism to Dick.”

We’ll learn more about Dick Hallorann and how he evolved into the sweet guy we know and love from King’s other works in the weeks ahead on HBO’s IT: Welcome to Derry.