Welsh actor bags major Hollywood role in Batman blockbuster

Welsh actor bags major Hollywood role in Batman blockbuster
An actor from Cardiff has been cast as the lead villain in the forthcoming DC Studios movie.
Tom Rhys Harries from Cardiff, is about to get his big break after being cast in the blockbuster movie
(Image: Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Ima )
A Welsh actor has landed a game-changing role after being cast as the lead in an upcoming DC Studios' blockbuster. Tom Rhys Harries, who is relatively unknown in America and is still relatively at the beginning of his career, will take on the role of Clayface, a Batman villain famed for his shape-shifting abilities.
The 34-year-old actor who graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama originally began his career on the West End, and since then has appeared in various TV series for streaming platforms Netflix and Apple TV+.
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The casting concludes a search that was primarily focused on young, British actors. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter .
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This represents a significant breakthrough for the 35 year old Welshman, who has accumulated screen credits through his work on screen and stage in the UK over the past 15 years.
The actor made his West End stage debut in 2014 in Jez Butterworth's Mojo alongside big names like Merlin's Colin Morgan, Harry Potter's Rupert Grint and award winning actor Ben Whishaw.
DC project heads James Gunn and Peter Safran went to great lengths in their quest for the perfect lead star before finally deciding on the Cardiffian. They also considered Sinners' antagonist Jack O'Connell, Tom Blyth from Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Leo Woodall (The White Lotus), and George MacKay, known for his role in the war film 1917.
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Speak No Evil's director James Watkins will helm Clayface, which is rumoured to be a pared-down film with a budget around the $40 million mark.
Renowned horror filmmaker Mike Flanagan penned the script for Clayface, which is slated for release in autumn 2026 and is expected to start filming later this year. No stranger to a DC movie, The Batman's director Matt Reeves will produce, alongside Lynn Harris and Gunn and Safran.
Tom, who has starred in the Guy Ritchie action comedy, The Gentlemen, spoke to the clothing brand Barbour about "making it".
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He said: "From quite a young age, I felt like I had a point to prove, and then you get older and I think success and anybody's definition of success changes drastically.
"I don't think you ever feel like 'I've made it', but as long as you're turning up and like doing your due diligence with your work and engaging with things that are exciting then that's it. That is the thing."
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Fans of the actor commented on the video, sharing their support. One person said: "Da iawn cariad."
One fan even nodded to his new role, saying: "Maybe after Clayface he might feel that he have made it "
Another added: "Welcome to the DCU, Clayface!"
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