Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries takes on the primary role in Clayface, an upcoming DC horror film and intense supervillain blockbuster situated in Gotham City, as stated by theguardian.com. Following a three-month audition process overseen by producers James Gunn and Matt Reeves, the 36-year-old landed the part. While recent box office failures such as The Marvels, Joker: Folie à Deux, and the upcoming Supergirl—projected to lose more than $100m—suggest widespread audience fatigue, Harries maintains an optimistic outlook on the genre’s future.
The Essentials of the Blockbuster Lead
- Tom Rhys Harries plays Matt Hagen, a rising actor whose face is slashed by a mob boss before he turns to a serum that grants shape-shifting powers with gruesome side effects.
- The film includes a scene where the character’s eyelids melt, which Harries describes as “the film’s tipping point of ickiness.”
- The production arrives at a precarious time for comic book adaptations, landing in cinemas on October 23.
From Meat Hooks to Gotham City Supervillains
Fresh out of drama school, Harries portrayed a teenage rock-and-roll idol captured by gangsters in a revival of Jez Butterworth’s Mojo, standing out as the sole unknown performer in an ensemble headed by Ben Whishaw and Rupert Grint. The Guardian’s Michael Billington likened him to “an embryonic Elvis”. Now, the 36-year-old Cardiff-born actor has the title role of Clayface, a violent DC Comics supervillain blockbuster set in Batman’s stomping ground, Gotham City. This positions him alongside other British actors in the comic book franchise, including Tom Holland (Spider-Man), Robert Pattinson (Batman) and David Jonsson, recently announced as the new Black Panther, according to theguardian.com.
Tom Rhys Harries (Clayface) on his Instagram story: pic.twitter.com/FLwyRj2UF1
Harries spent three months auditioning to play the severely mutilated protagonist under producers James Gunn and Matt Reeves. Reflecting on the casting process, Harries told theguardian.com: “How did I stay sane? I didn’t.” He added regarding his readiness for the production: “I felt ready to do this.” He noted that had he been younger, he would have been suffocated by the insecurity of wanting to do a good job but not having that quiet trust in getting there.
Inside the Body Horror and Production Scale
With his face slashed to ribbons and his professional life ruined, Matt finds his sole remaining chance for salvation in scientist Dr. Caitlyn Corr, portrayed by Naomi Ackie, and her miraculous serum. The serum restores his appearance and grants him shape-shifting powers, but it carries unstable side effects. In one sequence, his eyelids melt, which Harries calls “the film’s tipping point of ickiness.”
Harries’s career has seen him transition from posh-boy roles
in productions like the horror-comedy Slaughterhouse Rulez, where he played a boarding-school bully, to the television thriller Suspicion. He also starred in the Netflix murder mystery White Lines and the Homer adaptation The Return, alongside Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche. Regarding his trajectory, Harries remarked: It’s about repaying those people.
Having made his cinematic debut in the 2011 feature Hunky Dory—which featured Minnie Driver as an inspirational educator—Harries performed a memorable sequence where he guided his fellow students through a mandolin-and-brass-accompanied version of The Man Who Sold the World. Screen International singled out Harries as the cast member who “may ultimately become the star here”.
| Project Details | Production Information |
|---|---|
| Lead Actor | Tom Rhys Harries (Matt Hagen) |
| Key Cast | Naomi Ackie (Dr. Caitlyn Corr) |
| Producers | James Gunn, Matt Reeves |
| Release Date | In cinemas from October 23 |
Navigating Superhero Fatigue at the Box Office
However, Harries remains optimistic about the film’s approach within the marketplace. “That’s what excites me about Clayface,” Harries told theguardian.com. “It is trying to do something different in a space that is asking for that. The medium needs a shake-up and I hope that people feel they can support the film purely on the basis that it will allow studios the confidence to experiment.”
