‘Clayface’ Will Push the DCU to Its Limits With R-Rated Violence

Outubro 13, 2026 lojamais44@gmail.com

Summary

Collider’s Steve Weintraub talks with Tom Rhys Harries and Naomi Ackie for Clayface.
The duo discusses the love story at the heart of the movie.
They also discuss the visceral practical effects and why Clayface is perfect for the DCU.

The DCU’s first trip to Gotham City is more than a villain’s origin story, according to stars Tom Rhys Harries and Naomi Ackie. Though Clayface, originally penned by Mike Flanagan, is a twisted body horror that introduces audiences to our first look at Batman’s gloomy metropolis, it’s the bonds at its core that make Matt Hagen’s (Harries) story truly hard to stomach.

In the movie, Matt is Gotham’s rags-to-riches poster child, rising from the city streets to one of Hollywood’s hottest stars. But his view from the top comes crashing down when a local crime boss attacks, leaving Matt disfigured and abandoned by his team. With nothing left to lose, he seeks out cutting-edge treatment that, at first, appears to return Hagen to his former glory — until he begins to spiral out of control. Clayface also stars Ackie as Caitlyn Corr and Max Minghella as John Borrelli.

In this interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Harries and Ackie discuss the romantic relationship that drives Matt’s destruction, why nothing about Clayface’s boundary-pushing script felt out of place for the DCU, and the practical effect that’s sure to make audiences squirm. Don’t miss the full conversation in the video above, with a transcript provided below.

‘Clayface’ Takes DC’s Body Horror to the Extreme

“Damn right!”

Image via DC
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

COLLIDER: I really want to start with congratulations on the movie. I’m so happy with how much I enjoyed your performances and what James [Watkins] did, and the fucking hardcore violence and horror that’s in this movie. I just want to give you huge props. So, do you think the message of the film is to not do drugs with random people you meet at a club?

TOM RHYS HARRIES: Yes. That’s it. That’s the whole message of the film.

NAOMI ACKIE: I mean, that’s always the message. And get therapy.

HARRIES: Yeah, and get therapy where possible.

One of the things that really surprised me last night was how much the audience was freaking out multiple times at what was being depicted on screen. Have you seen the finished version?

HARRIES: We watched the film together in London. There were three of us in that cinema, and I think Naomi and I — not speak on Naomi’s behalf, but I’m going to — something we’re really looking forward to is watching it with a crowd full of people.

ACKIE: Yeah, because even the three of us in that cinema room, we were loud and cackling and horrified. It was so much fun.

There were some shots that were…

ACKIE: Terrifying!

When you were reading the script, and you got cast, and you’re finally getting ready to make it, was there anything that both of you were like, “Are we really going to put this in a DC movie?”

ACKIE: No. I was like, “Damn right!” It felt perfect.

HARRIES: Personally, I want that space to be taking risks like this. I think it’s a really unique opportunity for that to be played out on screen. Whether it’s a horror or any number of genres, for us to be pushing the envelope on that front is such a good opportunity.

There are certain sequences I read in the script where I was like, “That just reads cinematically well.”

ACKIE: I could see it. It felt like what was on the page became what was in the film, and I was really excited by it.

‘Clayface’s Twisted Love Story Makes Its Horror Even More Tragic

“Am I the monster?”

I think a lot of people are getting ready for the R-rated violence and body horror, but I think there’s also a compelling love story in this film that maybe isn’t being talked about. Can you talk about that aspect, that there’s more to it than just body horror?

HARRIES: I think throughout the whole film, Matt thinks he’s in a rom-com, and he’s jump-scared by the fact that he might be, actually, in psychological horror.

ACKIE: [Laughs] By the end.

HARRIES: “Am I the monster?” But yeah, that’s the anchor of the whole film.

ACKIE: It adds to the tragedy.

HARRIES: Completely. You’ve got to care about what these people are going through and be rooting for something for you to feel any kind of loss.

Tom Rhys Harries Was on His “Last Leg” With “The Maggot”

The stars reveal the practical effect audiences are going to love.

What was the most incredible practical effect on set, and what was the reaction when everyone first saw it?

HARRIES: There are loads in the film. Near the end of the film, there’s a suit. It’s like a latex suit and a body of… I don’t want to say water, but liquid. Thick liquid…

ACKIE: Goo.

HARRIES: Goo.

ACKIE: If you will. [Laughs]

HARRIES: The suit was called The Maggot, and there was a lot of rain, a lot of goo.

ACKIE: That was a fun day.

HARRIES: It was a fun day for everybody else apart from me.