Tom Rhys Harries, a 36-year-old actor from Cardiff, has been cast in the title role of Clayface, a DC Comics adaptation centered on a violent supervillain operating in Gotham City. The film is being produced by James Gunn and Matt Reeves, marking Harries’s entry into the expanding universe of British actors taking on major comic-book roles alongside figures like Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson.
Harries spent three months auditioning for the part, which required him to portray Matt Hagen, an up-and-coming actor whose career takes a devastating turn after a confrontation with a mob boss leaves his face severely scarred. The character gains access to an experimental serum developed by scientist Dr. Caitlyn Corr, portrayed by Naomi Ackie, which restores his appearance and grants him the ability to alter his facial features at will. However, the serum produces disturbing side effects, including a sequence in which the character’s eyelids deteriorate, requiring him to trim the affected tissue with nail scissors.
Harries characterized the film as occupying territory closer to horror than typical superhero fare, drawing stylistic comparisons to Darkman and The Substance. He reflected on his casting in a role centered on a protagonist obsessed with physical appearance, noting that while he plays an actor concerned with vanity, he personally maintains distance from such preoccupations in his own work.
The actor traced his path to this major role through earlier work, including a 2011 debut in Hunky Dory and a breakout performance in the 2014 stage revival of Mojo, where he performed alongside Ben Whishaw and Rupert Grint. He credited his diagnosis with ADHD at age seven, combined with early mentorship from teachers and family support, as instrumental in his persistence through early career setbacks and his eventual trajectory toward larger roles in film and television.
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