Crossing paths with Tom Holland during 'Clayface'? Tom Rhys Harries: 'Staying in these little cottages'
Tom Rhys Harries hints at a real-life crossover, recounting an unexpected encounter with a mystery headliner as Clayface and Spider-Man: Brand New Day filmed nearby.
Working out between shoot days turned into a running bit for Tom Rhys Harries: every time he hit the local gym near Leavesden Studios, he’d spot Tom Holland doing the same. Harries says both actors were living near the lot while he was filming Clayface, which made the weight room a surprisingly regular crossover.
“We were shooting Clayface in Leavesden. I was staying in these little cottages not far from the studios,” he said. “Tom Holland was staying near me. I saw him in the gym a couple of times.”
The anecdote came up in Harries’ chat with Kit Connor for Interview Magazine. He wasn’t trying to link the projects — he used the story to tip his hat to Holland and Connor, saying he admires how they’ve handled intense fame since their teens, and noting he doubts he’d have managed it as smoothly at that age.
From stage to Gotham
Harries’ path to a comic-book lead ran through theater, streaming, and a buzzy sci-fi guest spot before DC called.
- Mojo — West End debut (2014), alongside Rupert Grint and Ben Whishaw
- White Lines — Netflix series (May 2020)
- Doctor Who: “Dot and Bubble” — turned him into a trending topic on X and TikTok (June 2024)
In 2025 he landed his biggest role yet: Matt Hagen — better known as Clayface.
The DC horror swing
Harries was introduced to fans at San Diego Comic-Con with director James Watkins. DC’s take tracks Hagen, a Gotham street kid who becomes a Hollywood leading man before a crime boss destroys his face — and an experimental cosmetic compound turns his flesh into living clay. DC is billing the movie as its first R-rated body-horror thriller.