Clayface's Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie On Navigating Fame; Director James Watkins On Shutting Off Outside Opinions - EXCLOct 17, 2026, 22:58 IST

The second DC Studios film of 2026 is Clayface, directed by James Watkins. Written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, it follows a film star named Matt Hagen who goes through extreme measures to restore his movie star face after a mob boss disfigures it. The film's leads, Tom Rhys Harries and Naomi Ackie, spoke to us about dealing with fame as older actors and being allowed the chance to make a mistake. Director Watkins also shared that he was given a lot of freedom to create his own version of the film world "to create a grounded version of Gotham that feels real, but it's a city that's indifferent to Matt." Using inspiration from 1960s to 1990s New York, Clayface was shot in Liverpool to give it a more realistic feel.

In an interview with Zoom, Harries who plays Matt, spoke about other actors such as Tom Holland, who became famous as teenagers. He said, "Navigating aspects of being in the public eye that a lot of younger actors, Tom being one of them, have to do, brings its own set of challenges, and I'm always really impressed by people, and they can sort of navigate that with grace. I'm older and grateful that I've been able to spend a big portion of my 20s in anonymity because it takes a while to grow up and figure out what the world is."

His co-star Ackie agree and shared, "Being older and working in this industry does change, like you're growing up and not in the public eye. You can make mistakes and no one's there to judge you. I think fame is a very weird, strange thing, and I don't think it's something that people should hold on a pedestal."

Harries, who is leading his first studio film, also had this to reveal about his character. The actor stated, "He's backed into a corner metaphorically and is desperately trying to claw his way out to maintain a life that he's built for himself and meets Naomi's character Caitlin Corr and then he's in a romantic comedy, and before he knows that he can become anyone or anything, and it's like this psychological unravelling of a man whilst he desperately tries to hold on to the life he had."

Meanwhile, filmmaker Watkins spoke to Zoom about Harries's audition for Clayface. The director shared that he was immediately impressed with the actor during his audition and when he saw Harries had great chemistry with Ackie. He said, "I wanted people to root for the character of Matt even though he goes on this quite extreme journey and to be able to be relatable. I think Tom as Matt had a kind of vulnerability that I thought would take people along with us, even though he starts going into dark places and then also be able to play that kind of dark glee when he's being overtaken by his primal desires. I just thought he would really embody the character of Matt brilliantly, and I'm really proud of what he's done."

The filmmaker also went on to add that he didn't try to listen to the online chatter of the DC Studios fans while making his movie. He explained, "I can only control what I can control, which is to try and make the movie the best version of the movie that I think it should be, and beyond that, I try to just tune everything else out really. I read Mike Flanagan's script and thought it was a really interesting story within the Gotham universe of how a man becomes a monster. I thought it had some great body horror, and it was an opportunity to tell a story that had real heart and horror and humour and emotion. I've sat with audiences, and they've had a real roller coaster ride.

Also starring David Dencik, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan, Clayface releases in theatres on October 23. It is set to be part of the DCU's Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.

Sonal Pandya has grown up on a steady diet of Bollywood and Hollywood musicals, subtitled foreign films and American sitcoms. When not trying to keep ... View More