Clayface is quickly turning into a cult hit for DC Studios. The $40 million horror movie is within striking distance of earning $100 million at the box office; More importantly, the Clayface character seems to have broken into the fandom zeitgeist: artwork, memes, and deep-dive discussions of Matt Hagen’s monstrous transformation are all over social media, as are various behind-the-scenes looks at the making of the film.
Recently, some photos of an alternate design for Clayface’s final form went viral, as DC fans debated whether the practically made suit was better than the CGI-heavy version of Clayface we got in the final moments of the film. Today, that suit is getting an even bigger chance to shine, as video has surfaced of the suit in motion while being worn by an actor who is testing it out.
CLAYFACE suit in motion 
New BTS footage shows Spencer Wilding moving in the practical suit built by KM Effects.
Fun fact: Spencer also played Kilowog on set in 2011's GREEN LANTERN.
KM Effects Ltd. pic.twitter.com/UcnWD9nkKF
That’s not just any actor in the Clayface suit: DC Film News identifies him as Spencer Wilding, a stunt actor who has body-doubled for characters like Darth Vader (in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Benicio Del Toro’s Wolfman (in Joe Johnston’s 2010 remake), or Killowog in DC’s 2011 Green Lantern movie with Ryan Reynolds. It’s not at all surprising that it would be Wilding who acted as the test pilot for this Clayface suit from KM Effects Ltd.: it would take a pro to bring something so grotesque and cumbersome to life, so effectively. The way he moves as the character, the awareness of the suit’s articulations and details – even that tilt of the head and stare into the camera is more unnerving than the film’s final shot.
It is truly unsettling to see this Clayface suit in full motion and detail. Hindsight is always 20/20, especially when making a movie, so we don’t want to lean on fallacy or wishful thinking and say this suit ‘would have been better’ for the movie. However, we can all admit that it is one hell of a creation, and maybe the best version of Clayface we’ve ever seen done using practical means like makeup and prosthetics.
Even if DC Studios didn’t use it in this origin film, they may want to keep a hand on it for future appearances, where his Clayface form will be the standard. It would help the budget to have the practical Clayface suit when shooting slower scenes of dialogue and character development, with CGI saved for the morphing and action bits. That’s the kind of vibe we’d need from Clayface’s next appearance, say, in the Batman reboot The Brave and the Bold, or if the character pops up in some other DCU projects, like a Suicide Squad sequel.
Clayface is currently in theaters. Do you like the practical suit? Want to see it in future Clayface appearances?
