Tom Rhys Harries somehow landed one of the most unusual leading-man roles in Hollywood: becoming progressively less attractive for two hours and making audiences even more intrigued. That’s the delicious irony at the heart of DC’s Clayface, the upcoming R-rated horror thriller that’s trading superhero swagger for psychological meltdowns, body horror, and enough emotional damage to keep your therapist employed for years.
Clayface is ready for his close-up. 🎬
Meet #ClayfaceMovie‘s Tom Rhys Harries — the star behind character Matt Hagen, a promising actor who slowly transforms into the oozing clay-like shapeshifter of the Batman rogue’s gallery in DC’s first horror movie.
The cast and crew of the… pic.twitter.com/fE0FGMdx6p— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) July 21, 2026
Fresh off gracing the latest cover of Entertainment Weekly, Harries is introducing fans to a version of Clayface that’s far removed from the gooey Batman baddie many grew up with. This isn’t a villain who wakes up and chooses evil. It’s a man whose life unravels one horrifying decision at a time—and somehow still manages to make us root for him.
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From leading man to literal melting man
If Hollywood has taught us anything, it’s that being beautiful solves everything. Clayface politely disagrees.
Harries stars as Matt Hagen, a rising actor who escapes Gotham’s rough streets to build the glamorous career he’s always dreamed of. Then one very bad romantic decision—sleeping with a mob boss’s girlfriend—turns his life into the worst tabloid headline imaginable.
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The attack leaves Matt horribly disfigured, costing him not only his face but also his career, confidence, and future. Enter an experimental serum promising to restore everything he lost.
Spoiler alert: it absolutely does not.
Instead, the treatment transforms him into the shape-shifting monster comic fans know as Clayface, while his grip on reality slowly slips away. Suddenly, the real horror isn’t becoming a monster—it’s watching someone desperately try to stay human. Honestly? That’s much scarier than another laser beam pointed at the sky.
DC said, “Less capes, more nightmares”
For years, horror fans have looked at Clayface and collectively wondered why nobody leaned into the obvious. Director James Watkins finally did.
The filmmaker behind Speak No Evil and The Woman in Black is steering the project straight into body horror territory, with DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran describing it as “the true body horror of a Cronenberg-type movie.”
“We’re not just telling a villain story, but a real psychological unraveling.”
Instead of chasing multiverse chaos, Clayface explores identity, obsession, vanity, and what happens when the person staring back in the mirror literally isn’t you anymore. It’s camp in the Shakespearean sense—not the feather boa sense. The film also isn’t giving away its biggest surprise before opening weekend.
“You don’t want to show the shark,” Watkins says, alluding to the creature from Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. “I think people give away too much…I believe in the power of mystery and the power of suggestion and the power of people putting two and two together. I think it’s more fun.”
Honestly? More movies should let us be surprised instead of dropping the entire third act in a trailer.
A stacked cast for DC’s darkest gamble
Harries isn’t carrying Clayface alone. The film also stars Naomi Ackie, Max Minghella, David Dencik, Eddie Marsan, Nancy Carroll, Joshua James, and Olivia Williams, giving the psychological thriller a cast packed with dramatic heavyweights instead of the usual superhero ensemble.
It’s another sign that DC isn’t treating Clayface like a side quest between Batman movies. Instead, the studio appears to be betting big on one of Gotham’s most tragic characters—and surrounding Harries with performers who know how to elevate emotionally driven stories.
Tom Rhys Harries literally limped through the movie
One of the wildest behind-the-scenes revelations? Harries filmed the entire production while dealing with a torn ACL—and kept it mostly to himself.
“I actually shot all of Clayface with a torn ACL. I hadn’t told the stunts or anyone on production. I was hobbling because I was like, ‘I don’t know if my knee’s gonna give out.’ I was running around Liverpool at 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. trying to get away with it.”
Things became even trickier during a stunt in which Matt gets hit by a car.
“I had to say to the stunt coordinator, ‘That action is the worst thing you could do to bust it up.’ But we got away with it! And my knee’s still intact.”
Some people call in sick over a paper cut. Harries was out there outrunning doom on an injured knee.
Batman can sit this one out
Before anyone starts asking where Gotham’s favorite billionaire is hiding, the filmmakers have an answer. Nowhere. At least not where this story is concerned. James Watkins insists Clayface belongs entirely to Matt Hagen.
“The story is Clayface’s story, it’s Matt Hagen’s story. If you just took one person within the world of Gotham and followed their story, it’s about following the integrity of that.”
That doesn’t mean longtime DC fans won’t have plenty to hunt for. Watkins confirmed there are subtle Easter eggs sprinkled throughout Gotham, but they’re designed to reward comic readers without pulling newcomers out of the story.
Tom Rhys Harries may have found his breakout moment
Between White Lines, Suspicion, and The Return, Harries has quietly built one of the most interesting résumés among Hollywood’s rising actors. Now, Clayface gives him his biggest stage yet—and he still seems delightfully unconvinced anyone knows who he is.
“Listen, I could be at Comic-Con at this point in full cover and then reveal myself. I think most of Comic-Con would go, ‘Who?!’ I don’t think it would be a big surprise.”
Give it until opening weekend.
If Clayface delivers on its promise of equal parts tragedy, terror, and twisted spectacle, Tom Rhys Harries may not stay Hollywood’s best-kept secret for much longer. Between the brooding leading-man energy, Welsh charm, and a character who’s equal parts heartbreaking and horrifying, Gotham may have just found its newest obsession.
And if this gloriously messy descent into monsterhood sticks the landing, don’t be surprised if Harries is the name everyone suddenly claims they knew all along.