‘Clayface’s Max Minghella Reveals How DC's Most Disturbing Movie Pulled Off Its Grotesque Effects

Summary Collider's Steve Weintraub talks with Max Minghella for Clayface. Minghella discusses Tom Rhys Harries' breakout performance, the gore, and practical filming techniques. He also teases his role in The White Lotus and discusses directing for Ryan Murphy's The Shards. DC Studio’s latest moves with Clayface are taking critics and audiences by surprise with the limits they were willing to bypass. The origin story takes place in the DCU’s first look at live-action Gotham City, with the Bat officially confirmed to be operating in the shadows, and according to Collider’s Gabrielle Moss, this body horror is “absolutely something you haven't seen in a DC film before.” For Max Minghella, who plays Gotham PD’s Officer John Borrelli, Clayface was an instinctual and immediate yes. From Mike Flanagan’s original script to director James Watkins’ bold take on the unflinching gore, he tells Steve Weintraub that there was little doubt Matt Hagen’s (Tom Rhys Harries) rise and fall would hit a nerve with audiences. In fact, it’s Harries’ “very physically taxing and emotionally taxing” performance as the film’s gruesome lead that he claims kept the movie from falling apart. During their interview, Minghella takes us behind the scenes for Clayface’s goriest effects and how Watkins kept the movie practical and tactile through the use of “old-fashioned movie techniques.” The actor-director also discusses joining HBO’s acclaimed Emmy Award-winning series The White Lotus, his role in the show, and which of the ensemble cast’s performances on set blew him away, plus why directing for Ryan Murphy’s adapted horror series The Shards was one of the most meaningful experiences of his career. Max Minghella Teases His "Really Special" Role in 'The White Lotus' He also discusses directing for Ryan Murphy’s The Shards. Image via HBO COLLIDER: As you know, you may be on the new season of The White Lotus. MAX MINGHELLA: Oh, really? Yeah, I heard rumors. I know you can't say anything about your character or what the show is about, but I am curious: How did you get cast? Was it something that you went after? Did Mike [White] contact you? MINGHELLA: I'm very dear friends of Dave Bernad's, who's the producer of the show, and Mike White is somebody I've admired for a long time. I think this was a role that they thought I might be a good fit for. But it came probably from my relationship with Dave Bernad. I'm sure you're a fan of the show, but it's like the minute they say White Lotus, are you like, “Yes. Don't even tell me. I'm in. Sounds great?” MINGHELLA: I get to do something really fun in it. I think I can say I'm not a principal actor in the show. I'm coming in for a little fun piece, and it's really special. I'm really, really flattered and excited to be part of it. I know that you also directed two episodes of The Shards, and I'm curious, how did you end up directing those episodes? MINGHELLA: I had talked a few times to the folks at Ryan Murphy's company about doing something, and timing had never lined up, but they kind of knew that I loved Bret Easton Ellis. I'm pretty loud in my Bret Easton Ellis fandom, and so I think when The Shards came up, that probably popped in their head. Then of course, Kaia Gerber, I directed in my last movie, and we're close. So, it sort of just felt organic on this project. I couldn't believe it because, not only is Bret Easton Ellis probably my favorite author of all time, but I would say that this book, specifically, is deeply meaningful to me. So, I can't believe that I got to work on it in that capacity. Probably the most joyous experience of my professional career. You've acted against some great people. Who do you think surprised you the most with what they did during a take? MINGHELLA: Well, actually, I've been working on White Lotus with Chris Messina, who I've worked with before, and he has done some really amazing stuff on set that I've not seen before, some kind of interesting approaches to a scene that I will definitely be stealing from. The thing is, I've been doing this for about 20 years now, and you're still constantly learning from everybody. On Clayface, the film we’ll probably talk about today a bit, I learned so much from James Watkins, working with him, that I took on to The Shards right afterwards. His manner with actors is incredible. He's so brilliant with us, with all aspects of his job. But as an actor, I felt so looked after by him and so seen by him, and it felt so collaborative. And so, I hope to be an eighth as good with actors as he is. 'Clayface' Director Made the Actors Feel "So Looked After" “I had some weird instinct that it was going to be a special project.” Directors don't really watch other directors while they work. I've spoken to a lot of directors, and everyone has their own process. It's only when you're exposed to other sets, but you really never go to other sets. So as an actor, you get to sponge off of all these directors. MINGHELLA: Completely, and I'm a big sponge. I really try and use every opportunity to learn from people around me, and I've been so lucky recently working with people I look up to so much. Tom Rhys Harries on Clayface, I learned so much from him. Just incredible discipline, generosity, amazing leadership on set. I think one of the things that doesn't get spoken about so much is the responsibility of being a number one on a call sheet. The day I got this job, he called me and was always, always in communication, always made me feel a part of the team. He did an amazing job, I think, on this film in all sorts of ways, on and off camera. I thought that James and everyone involved in this did such a great job. The audience I saw it with reacted multiple times to what was being depicted on screen. Have you seen the finished film? MINGHELLA: I have seen the finished film. I saw it in the first press screening, so it's a different energy to, I'm sure, the environment you were in, and I can't wait to see it tomorrow night with a general audience for the first time. But it was so clear, even in that morning screening, even with all the pressure on that screening, that the film was working and connecting with people. To be honest, with Clayface, even before I was involved in the movie, like when I just heard about it being announced, and I heard James Watkins was directing it, I had some weird instinct that it was going to be a special project and something that might connect with people. How 'Clayface' Brought Its Grotesque Effects to Life “There were lots of old-fashioned movie techniques all the time.” Image via Warner Bros. Pictures When you were reading the script, did you realize the extent of the body horror and what James was going to pull off on screen with showing specifically what would happen if you were attacked, and basically the use of prosthetics? Did you realize how hard it was going to go? MINGHELLA: I think that the script was quite clear. I think what I was hoping for and what ended up being even more the case than I expected was how grounded and practical the production was. It was a very intimate set, and everything was very tactile for us. I didn't see a green screen at any point when we were making this film. Everything was in front of our eyes. There were lots of old-fashioned movie techniques all the time. I mean, the airplane sequence, which I think has been shown quite a bit, that was made in such a great old-fashioned way, just people rattling a little booth. The movie, I think, really benefits from all of that. You can see it in the performances, I think, that we are in a tangible world. So, the script was really cool. I think the thing that surprised me the most wasn’t so much the gore and that stuff; it was the humor. I think James really brought a lot of really fun, dark humor to this film, and it's there throughout. It's really cool. That airplane sequence is just building tension upon tension, and you're wondering, with the surgery and the plane… It's great. Just great. MINGHELLA: Yeah, it’s great. It’s a special thing. Tom Rhys Harries Is a Star on the Rise “I think without Tom, the whole thing would have fallen apart.” Image via Warner Bros. Pictures Completely. When you were on set, what was the most disturbing or the coolest bit of prosthetics that you saw, or were you not really there to witness some of the extreme stuff? MINGHELLA: We got to see lots and lots of stuff. We shot the movie very quickly, and Tom, God bless him, was often having to do so much in one day that he'd be in one prosthetic, he’d then be in another wardrobe, then he'd be going to shoot a different scene and be back in the prosthetic. So, you got to see all sorts of versions of him. What’s funny is how normal it became. By week three, we got used to seeing Tom in these incredibly grotesque and fucked up makeup effects. He would often call and FaceTime his family and then suddenly be in some mad get-up. But he had such a great manner. He just was so professional about it. He never complained once. He gave it his all, and it was a lot that they asked of him. This is a big part. He's in almost every frame of the film, and it's very physically taxing and emotionally taxing. So, I think without Tom, the whole thing would have fallen apart. I really think Tom did a great job with this. I also think that it's going to help for the role that he is not super famous and that people can see Tom as Matt. You know what I mean? MINGHELLA: Yeah, it's a brilliant piece of casting. I think James Gunn and Peter Safran demonstrate over and over again their ability to cast the right actors in these key roles, and I'm so excited for the world to see Tom's performance and to see James's work. I think it's a really special movie, and it was made with the right intentions. I know it's a big studio movie, but it really was just made by a group of people who were doing their best every day. So, it's really nice when something like that connects, and hopefully it does. Clayface is in theaters now. Release Date October 23, 2026 Runtime 108 Minutes Director James Watkins Cast Tom Rhys Harries Matt Hagen / Clayface Naomi Ackie Dr. Caitlin Bates Writers Mike Flanagan, Hossein Amini Producers James Gunn, Lynn Harris, Matt Reeves, Peter Safran Franchise(s) DCU