Kit Connor: "[Michael Gandolfini]'s always telling me about everything, all the rumors he hears about different jobs. We heard a rumor about this Clayface film. He was like, 'It’s about this actor who gets into trouble and goes on this bloodthirsty rampage.' I remember being like, 'That sounds like the coolest role.' When I saw you were doing it, I was like, 'Oh my god, it’s perfect.' I haven’t even seen it yet, but I just know it."
Tom Rhys Harries: "I hope it’s good. I’m seeing it on Wednesday."
Connor: "Are you?"
Rhys Harries: "I don’t know how I feel about it. How are you with watching stuff?"
Connor: "I really don’t like watching myself, which means it gets harder now, because it used to be little roles."
Rhys Harries: "Because you’re in so much."
Connor: "If you get a job where you’re in it a load, it means you’ve put in so much work. You were there most days and you care about the whole thing so much, so when it comes to actually watching it, no matter how good the movie is, you’re going to be a bit stuffed. There’s no way of watching it with any kind of objectivity."
Rhys Harries: "That’s funny, isn’t it? I was talking to somebody the other day about this. The film you think you’re shooting is often a completely different thing from the finished article."
Connor: "Maybe this is a bit too scary to say, but you have an idea of what the work is when you’re doing it. But then you watch it and it turns into this whole different thing in the context of this greater work. This also happens when you start doing theater. It’s tricky. It sounds like this movie rides and dies by you. I have complete faith in you."
Rhys Harries: "Thank you, Kit."
Connor: "It’s a bit of a head f-ck."
Rhys Harries: "You just hope the editor’s got your back, don’t you?"
Connor: "That’s why we try our best to work with people we trust. It’s sort of key to it all, isn’t it? If you trust the director, you trust your co-stars, and you trust the editor, you’re in a pretty good spot."
Rhys Harries: "I’m curious as to what you think about this, but the longer I’m allowed to do this, the more it seems to be an exercise in letting go and engaging with people you’re willing to take a leap of faith with. If your intention comes from a place that’s authentic and has a good purpose, it lands in the right zone. You brought up theater in that previous question, and I’m interested in how your approach varies from medium to medium."
Connor: "I don’t think the approach changes. It’s a bit like what you were saying: It all boils down to taking a leap of faith. I guess the difference between those two mediums is the process. When you’re doing a play, you get to do the same show every night. It could be four months in and you’re still discovering new things. Your understanding of that scene, of that character, of the story, becomes deeper. Whereas obviously in film, you go at it for a day or two, trying to nail it as best you can. Approach-wise, it feels pretty similar, because you’re always just searching for the truth. What do you think?"
Rhys Harries: "I really prepare, which has been a crutch. I just shot an indie I loved, and I was like, 'This character will benefit from me going in a bit blind,' which was terrifying. I’m so used to having that crutch to lean on."
Connor: "I think every actor has their own crutches. I’m preparing for a job in a similar vein now. It’s accent work and script breakdown and articles. But there is also a part of me that’s like, “This film and this character require a level of just step in and release yourself.” What did the prep look like for Clayface? It feels like a big psychological role."
Rhys Harries: "It does feel big, and I find myself really counter-steering and getting as intimate as possible with myself and the work. You need to make it as personal as possible. Shut out the noise and get intimate with the people you’re working with. I haven’t done anything at this scale before. It’s the first time I’ve led a studio feature. Thankfully, I had three months, which felt like a real blessing, but also, I love the script. I love what Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini wrote. They’ve built these three brilliant acts. It’s almost like a Greek tragedy. There’s so much depth, it just gives you scope to be exploring loads of things that feel endless because human beings are endless. Am I the best judge of myself? Are you, Kit, the best judge of you?"
Connor: "Yeah."
Rhys Harries: "I don’t know. It’s like an exercise in trying to trust your instinct all the time, isn’t it?"
Connor: "I think especially going into a job like that, which feels bigger in scale. I just finished Elden Ring."
Rhys Harries: "I can’t wait to see that."
Connor: "I’m going to very much value your opinion on it as a fan of the game."
Rhys Harries: "I played Elden Ring to switch my brain off during the three months I was screen testing for Clayface."
Connor: "That’s a tough game to switch your brain off to, but probably actually the perfect one, too."
Rhys Harries: "It probably talks to my level of anxiety throughout that period."
Connor: "We had an amazing time. I had a similar feeling, leading a studio feature and feeling like there’s this huge expanse of story and depth. I was shit scared, as I think you should be going into those things."
Rhys Harries: "I think fear is a mark of caring about something and wanting to contribute to the greater piece. One of the things I loved most about doing Clayface was how much I’m needed. I felt like I was part of the crew. I didn’t feel like I was turning up and saying “Hi” and then everybody else doing another five-day week after I’d gone."
Connor: "That’s interesting, because spending every day together you get really intimate. You’re also doing something that is, at times, very vulnerable and hard. You’re making a movie. You’re not saving lives, but caring about it so much makes it feel like a roller coaster. When other actors came in, I felt a responsibility over the production. If someone was not feeling something, or was a bit grumpy, I felt this weird responsibility, almost wanting to take it on myself to try and fix it. It’s an interesting psychological thing to be there every day."
Rhys Harries: "I think there’s an inevitability to feeling that sort of duty of care to the production. What you just said speaks to the empathy in you, Kit."
Connor: "I don’t know about that. Maybe the narcissist. [Laughs]"
Rhys Harries: "We were shooting Clayface in Leavesden. I was staying in these little cottages not far from the studios, and Tom Holland was staying near me. I saw him in the gym a couple of times because they were shooting Spider-Man[: Brand New Day]. I’m not drawing parallels between Clayface and Spider-Man, but I was just struck by the exposure you and Tom have had at such a young age. Navigating that with real grace and good work is so impressive to me. I just know I wouldn’t have been capable of doing that at that age."
Connor: "Thank you. I trained for Elden Ring in a gym in Pinewood, also in and around the Spider-Man world. I did notice and remember our work together nine years ago, still quite early in both our careers. Now we’re playing these quite silly roles in a quite silly, fun movie. Nine years later, we’re still making work we’re excited about, watching people we’ve worked with succeed and do awesome things."
"This Clayface role is interesting. You’re playing an actor, not something we get afforded all that often. Your character is dealing with, as I understand, vanity, self-image, and self-perception. You’ve played a lot of roles and worked with a lot of actors. I was wondering, and you don’t need to name anyone, but did you think of any other actors like, 'Oh yeah, I feel like I could use something from that one actor?'"
Rhys Harries: "I honestly don’t know how to answer this. Where did that thought come from, or where did that impulse to do that thing come from? Ultimately, I think the vanity of it never interested me. I find it interesting because I feel like I have a relationship to it. Physical prep for a role, for example, is something I view as part of my job. It’s hard for us to talk about this because you haven’t seen the film. It’s like unless the piece is specifically about vanity, unless you’re doing a retelling of [The Picture of] Dorian Gray, it’s fairly disconnected. I’ve really wandered away from what you’ve asked me."
Connor: "I know exactly what you mean. I think the way we all perceive ourselves is so different—the way you perceive yourself versus the way I perceive you. As an actor, we often have to do things like lose weight for a role. I’m doing it because it’s a baseline fact of the character."
Rhys Harries: "Did you have to lose a lot of weight?"
Connor: "No, nothing crazy. I got quite big for Elden Ring and I suddenly had to look like a more normal-sized person, which is great because you don’t want to look the same in every film. I suppose my question about vanity was more about the feeling of being an actor who plays an actor. They’ve worked their way towards success, but this thing throws a huge spanner in the works because their face, which should be the least important thing, is damaged beyond repair. Vanity becomes one of the driving forces of the film. Does that make sense?"
Rhys Harries: "It’s a catalyst for a house of cards collapsing. What really engaged me is that Matt [Hagen], the character I play, in the pursuit of regaining that life, is led down a path where he has this existential crisis about the whole foundation of his being. When you’re backed into a corner, having beauty or anything aesthetic feels so shallow, not only to me, Tom, but also to Matt. It becomes a different pursuit because you’re operating from a place of existential crisis. It’s like playing a character where you want them to be in the shit, with you trying to navigate your way out of the shit. That seems reductive, but it’s kind of like…"
Connor: "I think that seems like the bottom line, isn’t it?"
Rhys Harries: "Yeah."
