Tom Rhys Harries and Naomi Ackie, stars of the upcoming Clayface project, have shared their fond memories of watching Batman: The Animated Series during their childhoods in the UK. The actors revealed that the animated show was a daily ritual for them after school.
Mike Flanagan's original screenplay for Clayface drew inspiration from the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Feat of Clay," which explored the origin of the character Matt Hagen. Rhys Harries specifically praised Ron Perlman's voice performance as Clayface in the series, noting the impact of the character's existential struggle.
"Ron Perlman does such an amazing job with the voice on that and the sequences in that are so sick," Rhys Harries told IGN. "When he's shape-shifting and he's having this [exchange] with Batman where he's like, ‘I don't know who I am.’"
Ackie added that the iteration of Clayface in the animated series managed to evoke empathy despite the character's horrific nature. "But you feel so sorry for him. I think what is amazing is that we hold onto the idea of the tragedy of this character in this iteration of Clayface. And it feels, like you said, quite heartfelt at the same time as being absolutely horrific."
Both actors highlighted the tragic elements of the character, finding it compelling that the series balanced horror with a heartfelt portrayal. For further insights into Clayface and the future of the DCU, discussions with DC Studios co-chairman and co-CEO Peter Safran are available, alongside IGN's ranking of the top 10 episodes from Batman: The Animated Series.