Ambition can be a powerful driving force, but when the desire to be seen, accepted and celebrated becomes all-consuming, the very thing that promises salvation can ultimately lead to destruction. It’s this unsettling contradiction that sits at the heart of Clayface, DC Studios’ psychological body-horror thriller from director James Watkins, which reimagines one of Gotham City’s most intriguing villains through a deeply human, and increasingly disturbing, lens.
Starring Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, a former Gotham street kid whose rise to Hollywood stardom is violently derailed when he’s left horribly disfigured, the film follows his desperate pursuit of a revolutionary treatment offered by ambitious doctor Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie). But as the procedure begins to fracture Matt’s sense of reality, their shared hunger for recognition threatens to consume them both.
Speaking with Peter Gray ahead of the film’s release, Harries and Ackie reflected on the insecurities driving their characters, the dangerous intersection of ambition and self-worth, and whether Matt and Caitlyn are ever truly aware of the lines they’re crossing.
I’m going to ask a bit of a philosophical question first up, because what I found fascinating about Matt and Caitlyn is that they’re both people who’ve worked incredibly hard to be seen and recognized, but that desire ultimately becomes quite destructive. For both of you, do you think their tragedy is that they lose sight of who they are, or that they’ve never quite believed who they are is enough?
Tom Rhys Harries: That’s deep.
Naomi Ackie: That’s deep. It’s a beautiful question.
Tom Rhys Harries: How many hours we been doing this?
Naomi Ackie: (Laughs) Yeah, we haven’t been asked that. I think it’s the second one. Well, at least Caitlyn’s perspective, I think that there’s a hunger to prove to people that she has something, and maybe a lack of patience that the right opportunities would come for her to be able to develop this thing further. When you are feeling insecure, that’s sometimes when you can make the worst decisions for your life. What about you (Tom)?
Tom Rhys Harries: Yeah, I think that you can hold on too tight to something. What’s that thing about don’t kill the butterfly? There’s a lot of cautionary tales in Clayface.
Well, going off that, I feel like there’s this very fine line between ambition being the thing that saves you and the thing that destroys you. Do you think Matt and Caitlyn recognize that line when they’re crossing it? Or is it kind of like the tragedy that they only understand once it’s too late?
Tom Rhys Harries: I think it’s strangely something that draws them together. It’s one of the factors that means they’re sort of polarized towards each other. It’s the quality in themselves that despite anything they’re willing to roll the dice. And push to achieve what they’re trying to achieve.
And just before I let you go, will leave on something much lighter. Obviously there’s the moment when they listen to the Chicago song (“If You Leave Me Now”), which Caitlyn says is her way of calming down. For both of you, is there a song, or an artist, that calms you down creatively after a long day?
Naomi Ackie: You know what? Lauryn Hill’s one and only amazing album. That is the best album. It’s the best. You know what I love? The little inserts of the classroom.
Tom Rhys Harries: I’ve been listening to a lot of Mk.gee.
Naomi Ackie: Who’s that?
Tom Rhys Harries: He’s this indie contemporary artist. He’s really good. “Rockman” is good.
I’ll put him on the list. I know Lauryn Hill, but Mk.gee is on the list now. I just want to thank you both so much for taking the time out. Congratulations on the film. I’m so excited for everybody to see this!
Tom Rhys Harries: Oh, thanks so much. Sorry (the interview) was so brief.
Naomi Ackie: Take care my lovely.
Clayface is screening in Australian theatres from October 22nd, 2026, before opening in the United States on October 23rd.
