Clayface is a grisly horror that also functions as a revenge tragedy, as Matt Hagen – a gruesomely disfigured up-and-coming Hollywood actor – embarks on a quest to right the wrongs against him.
It's impossible not to empathize with Tom Rhys Harries's Matt, who is brutally attacked by a mobster after a bad decision on a night out, undergoes experimental surgery to repair his face, and begins developing shapeshifting powers. But, as his behavior gets more and more extreme in pursuit of revenge, you might find yourself questioning your morals.
"It started off with the script, working with the script to really understand Matt, where he came from, how he came from nowhere and got to that situation," Clayface director James Watkins tells GamesRadar+ of balancing empathy and horror. "So when it's all pulled away, we're on his side. And then it's casting, finding the right actor, and when Tom came in, I thought, 'This could be the guy,' because it's just someone that you can be rooting for all the way through that journey, and still have sympathy towards them. That's not easy. A lot of actors don't have that. So, finding that, and then the dark glee as he discovers his powers.
"He's been wronged, and then he gets this moment, and we're with him on the journey, and he's discovering his powers, and he's doing all this crazy stuff," Watkins continues. "I really want us to be on his side, and [have] permission to enjoy the moment. And actually really push that, and then whether we can wink and nod at the audience in a couple of ways there and really enjoy that, so that when he carries on even further, you're so invested with him. And then you're like, 'Oh,' and where that takes you with the character, which I think becomes an interesting dance between the audience and the movie."
Making the audience complicit is also an idea Harries shares. "He doesn't know where it's going. That's a fairly basic thing to say, but it's true," he explains. "He's always trying. He's not wanting to be bad. He's just increasingly giving in to more carnal, primal urges that he has, because he feels like he has no other place to go or to turn to. Hopefully, it kind of co-opts the audience to a point where you question where your ethical line is."
During Matt's revenge quest, he also gets closer and closer to Dr. Caityln Corr, the doctor who performed his experimental treatment and inadvertently gave him his powers. But, the complication is Caitlyn is already engaged to GCPD cop John Borrelli, played by Max Minghella – and the darker Matt becomes, the more unnerved Caitlyn is.
"That was a big pull for me while playing Caitlyn," Naomi Ackie tells us. "We had talked, and actually, the same with [the relationship between Caitlyn and John] as well. James was really keen on making it feel super grounded and believable. In some movies – and I love them all, I love movies – but sometimes they'll jump between meeting and then being like, 'I love you!' It's really quick, and you're like, 'How did they get there? And how much time has passed?'
هەفتانە هەرسکردنەکان، چیرۆکەکانی ئەو کۆمەڵگایانەی کە خۆشت دەوێن و زۆر شتی تر
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/dc-movies/clayface-star-teases-the-film-makes-you-question-where-your-ethical-line-is-on-matt-hagens-violent-revenge-quest
