Tom Rhys Harries' Brutal 'Clayface' Behind-the-Scenes Photo Shows the Horrifying Makeup Behind the Monster

Clayface has been tormenting Batman fans since 1940, only a year after the Caped Crusader himself debuted. Over the decades the character has been a criminal, a monster, a victim and a tragic antihero, often all at once. That shifting identity makes him an ideal fit for body horror, and DC Studios finally leaned all the way into it with ‘Clayface’.

Directed by James Watkins, the filmmaker behind the disturbing thrillers ‘Eden Lake’ and ‘Speak No Evil’, the movie arrived in theaters on October 23. The script comes from Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, with the story credited to Flanagan, and the result is the third entry in the DC Universe. Much of its power rests on the shoulders of one actor buried under layers of prosthetics: Welsh performer Tom Rhys Harries, previously known for ‘White Lines’ and ‘Suspicion’. It is a fittingly cruel premise, since he plays an actor who loses control of his own appearance.

Tom Rhys Harries behind the scenes of ‘CLAYFACE’. 📷 https://t.co/OQgqmop2Ta
— Film Crave (@_filmcrave) November 5, 2026

A new behind-the-scenes photo of Tom Rhys Harries from the set is now making the rounds, and it is every bit as unsettling as the finished film. The image shows the actor with a heavily scarred and swollen face, a distorted nose and a bloodshot eye, all stitched together with raw-looking wounds. It appears to capture Matt Hagen at his most disfigured, long before the clay takes over.

In the film, Hagen is a rising actor whose face is ruined by a vicious gangster, played by David Dencik. As a last resort, he turns to a scientist, played by Naomi Ackie, and volunteers for an experimental treatment that turns him into a shapeshifting creature made of living clay.

Set photos from London in September 2025 first hinted at the look, showing Harries with a bloodied and bandaged face. The new image offers a much closer view of how far the makeup team pushed the effect.

Behind the grotesque result was a grueling process. Harries reportedly spent between 2 and 4 hours in the makeup chair on most shooting days, and the look included contact lenses and mouthpieces that affected his vision and speech. Rather than fight the discomfort, he used those limitations to shape his performance.

The physical demands extended to the set itself. One sequence took place on an airplane built on a gimbal, so Harries had to act with prosthetic makeup over his eye while the whole set moved around him. Harries has also said the climactic melting sequence was largely shot practically before being enhanced in post-production.

Even a simple prop became a point of tension. Watkins has said Harries got so absorbed in one bathroom scene that he used real scissors, which made some crew members understandably nervous.

Reviews have been generally positive, and the film holds a 78% Tomatometer score from 220 critics, along with a 94% Popcornmeter audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. That puts it well above ‘Supergirl’, which sat at 52%, and makes it the highest-rated solo Batman villain movie to date.

Even critics who disliked the film praised Harries, with many highlighting how he conveys pathos under heavy makeup and VFX. Reviewers also singled out the old-school practical effects, although some criticized the script and the quality of the visual effects. One Hollywood Reporter review even compared its psychological depth to the work of David Cronenberg and Sam Raimi.

Watch the first trailer for #Clayface. The new DC horror film is in theaters October 23. https://t.co/gqrrtJSou5
— Rotten Tomatoes 🍅 (@RottenTomatoes) April 22, 2026

The film opened to $24.5 million in the United States and Canada, a little below its projected range of $25 million to $35 million. As of November 1, it had grossed $44 million domestically and $39 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $83 million.

Budget estimates range from $30 million to $44 million, which means the R-rated horror film has already passed the lower end of its estimated theatrical break-even range. The cast also includes Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, Nancy Carroll and Joshua James.