James Watkins put Tom Rhys Harries through an unusually demanding casting process before handing him the central role in DC Studios’ Clayface.
Speaking at the film’s world premiere at Hollywood Legion Theater on Oct. 13, 2026, Watkins said Harries stood out among the actors considered for the body-horror thriller, but the director wanted to test the full extent of what he could bring to the part.
“I auditioned the hell out of him,” Watkins told The Hollywood Reporter. “He came in, and I thought he really had something but I wanted to explore it. So we spent time exploring it.”
Watkins said he did not think he had ever auditioned an actor so extensively. The lengthy process also gave him an opportunity to investigate the character before production began.
Harries recalled that his auditions unfolded over three months and included two extended screen tests with Watkins. Rather than feeling frustrated by the process, the Welsh actor saw it as valuable preparation.
“But I’m untested in this space, so I was glad he did it with me really because it meant that we’d had time to workshop the thing before he got onto set,” Harries said.
A transformation-heavy lead role
Clayface follows Hollywood movie star Hagen, who is severely disfigured in a violent attack arranged by a Gotham mob boss. Hoping to recover his former appearance, he undergoes an experimental procedure. It appears successful at first, but ultimately leaves him facing a frightening new existence defined by shape-shifting skin.
That story requires Harries to carry both sides of the character, moving from Hagen’s recognizable life into the physical and emotional transformations associated with Clayface.
Harries’ previous film and television credits include Suspicion, White Lines, The Return, Chewing Gum, Jekyll and Hyde and Unforgotten.
Naomi Ackie plays the scientist responsible for Hagen’s experimental procedure. She praised Harries’ energy and attention to the role, describing the performance as more difficult than audiences may initially realize.
“He has to go through so many changes, transformations, and he has to track that emotion all the way through and make people kind of love him and want him to win in a way,” Ackie said. “And he did it with so much grace, so much attention to detail whilst being a really funny, nice guy.”
Ackie, who also worked with Robert Pattinson while filming Mickey 17, called Harries hardworking and enthusiastic while noting the lightness he brought into the room.
Finding the tragedy inside the horror
Producer Lynn Harris, Matt Reeves’ producing partner, said the creative team wanted to tell the story from Matt Hagen’s perspective and approach his downfall with empathy. She described him as an ordinary person whose terrible decision changes the course of his life.
For Harris, the attraction was grounding that story emotionally rather than treating Hagen’s transformation only as a horror spectacle.
The project began with a pitch and first draft from Mike Flanagan. He later departed while juggling projects including Carrie and the upcoming The Exorcist: Martyrs. Hossein Amini completed another draft, while Watkins came aboard to direct.
According to Harries, Watkins shared the producers’ view of the material as an emotional, character-led story built around Hagen’s core tragedy.
Watkins said the finished film combines horror, humor and heart. He is particularly interested in horror rooted in relatable fears rather than relying solely on jump scares or mechanical shocks.
“What’s more relatable than our fears for what can happen to our bodies, how they can betray us, all those sorts of things,” the filmmaker said.
Harries identified a sequence near the end of the film as his most difficult scene. He said he was lying in large amounts of “gook and gunk” while already running out of energy, adding that he hoped the exhaustion helped his performance.
ShowBiz Take
The scale of Harries’ audition process makes clear how much Clayface depends on its leading actor. The role is not limited to a physical metamorphosis: Harries also has to maintain Hagen’s emotional journey, earn the audience’s empathy and move between horror, tragedy and humor.
Watkins’ three-month examination of the performance therefore appears to have served two purposes. It tested Harries for a challenging dual role while giving both actor and director time to develop the character before filming. Ackie and Harris’ comments reinforce that emotional credibility—not transformation alone—is central to the film’s approach.
What Happens Next?
Watkins said preview audiences and critics have responded positively so far, but the broader reception will become clearer when Clayface opens on Oct. 23.