“Clayface” Star Tom Rhys Harries Was Cycling Around London When He Learned His Life Would Change (Exclusive)
“Clayface” Star Tom Rhys Harries Was Cycling Around London When He Learned His Life Would Change (Exclusive)
Tommy McArdleThu, July 23, 2026 at 9:42 PM UTC
0
Tom Rhys Harries on March 25, 2026; Tom Rhys Harries in ClayfaceCredit: Karwai Tang/WireImage; Warner Bros. -
At San Diego Comic-Con, Tom Rhys Harries and Clayface director James Watkins tell PEOPLE all about how Rhys Harries found out he had won the lead role in DC Studios’ new movie Clayface
Rhys Harries portrays an actor in Gotham City whose life is upended when his face is disfigured, and he seeks out an experimental treatment that begins changing his body dramatically
Clayface is in theaters Oct. 23
Tom Rhys Harries was out in London trying to distract himself from the stress of auditioning for Clayfacewhen he found out he won the part in DC’s upcoming superhero-horror movie.
Rhys Harries, 33, and the movie’s director James Watkins sat down with PEOPLE at San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday, July 23, as the pair begin promoting the anticipated movie, based on the DC Comics character and popular Batman adversary. Rhys Harries, who grew up in Wales, has appeared in movies like The Gentlemen, The Return and Madfabulous, as well as the series The Light in the Hall in recent years, but the new movie marks a major turning point in his career.
“It was a really strange situation because usually I think with those calls, with a project of this size, my agents would call me together on a group call, but because of the time difference and the press release was going out about two hours after my agents had been told,” Rhys Harries says of learning he had won the part. “My British agent was flying back from the States. So he had to call me really quickly. He called just before boarding a flight. So he was like, ‘I have to tell you this, because this press release is going to go out in about two hours. I was out riding my bike trying to distract myself; this had been a pretty big stress test over probably about a two month period at this point. So I was waiting to find out.”
Once Rhys Harries got the call, though, he was in a relaxed mood to celebrate and share the exciting news with those close to him. “I was just cycling around London, calling my family and some friends of mine,” he adds.
Tom Rhys Harries in ClayfaceCredit: Warner Bros.
In Clayface, Rhys Harries portrays an actor living in Gotham City (Batman’s hometown) named Matt Hagen, whose face is disfigured by a gangster after he finds out Matt has slept with his girlfriend, according to Entertainment Weekly‘s description of the movie. In the aftermath of the attack, Matt seeks out a scientist (played by Naomi Ackie) who offers to inject him with an experimental serum that could repair his face. The serum works, but quickly — and horrifically — begins transforming Matt into the goopy, shape-shifting entity, who has been one of Batman’s frequent villains in comic books and television series for decades. The movie is directed by James Watkins, who previously directed James McAvoy in 2024’s Speak No Evil.
“We met everybody, and Tom came in and I just thought he just felt right, and then I spent about four or five times auditioning him,” Watkins says of Rhys Harries’ auditions for the movie, with a laugh. “We met, we had a great chat. We talked about the character, we talked about stuff and felt like we were seeing it the same way. The nature of these things is high stakes, so I think we did two, three reads and then we did chemistry reads and it was just trying to explore.”
Advertisement
“We had a very nice chat after we got the news,” Watkins adds.
— sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Clayface posterCredit: Warner Bros.
Clayface will also star Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, David Dencik and more. The movie is the third in James Gunn‘s DC Universe after last year’s Superman with David Corenswet and this summer’s Supergirl with Milly Alcock. Despite the nature of the shared cinematic universe, Rhys Harries and Watkins say that their movie is “fairly self-contained.”
“We’re a smaller budgeted movie, but we’re also leaning into that notion of being a big, bold swing in a horror space,” Watkins says.
Clayface is in theaters Oct. 23.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
