Actors are often said to be the face of the film, but in Tom Rhys Harries' breakout role in DC's latest blockbuster, that part of the body becomes the focal point to chart the character's descent into villainy.

Rhys Harries plays the lead in Clayface as Matt Hogan, a handsome, successful actor.

When his face is mutilated in an attack, he volunteers for trials of a new treatment with horrifying side effects that transform his face into living clay.

The Welsh actor said he spent about half of his time on the set with the special effects make-up team, transforming into the mutant villain.

Despite the difficulty of wearing extensive prosthetics during filming, Rhys Harries said it helped him portray the distress of his character in a film that has been described as a body horror psychological thriller.

"There was a benefit to having it, because the character is in discomfort", he said.

Clayface first appeared in DC comics in 1940 as a Batman villain, however the character has never been adapted for cinema, until now, and it is the first major studio movie role for Rhys Harries.

"Time will tell if I'm prepared for it," the Cardiff-born actor said.

"I think it feels like a real privilege to be allowed into that sandbox, it's a cultural thing that is fairly significant in the West certainly.

"So I just feel really grateful to be able to put my stamp on Matt and Clayface for the first time."

Where possible, the creative team used malleable physical effects to better reflect the consistency of a clay-like substance, something Rhys Harries said was a "steep learning curve".

"You've got these artists who've created this piece of work that happens to be on you and the inclination is not ruin their work, but this stuff really works when you're able to interact with it.

"Because you would - if there was something on you that was mutating or morphing - you would go to touch it."

The film is described as a body horror psychological thriller, but Rhys Harries insists the story is relatable.

"He's an actor who happens to have lost one of his tools and it would be much the same as if a violinist had lost the use of his hands.

"It's just what any of us would do where your means of making a living has been taken away and I think there's a relatability in that."

Rhys Harries, who has been acting professionally for the past 15 years in English and Welsh, believes Welsh cultural traditions have played a part in his success.

"I was taking part in the eisteddfod when I was five and doing recitals in front of two, 300 people, so it didn't feel alien to me to be pursuing a career within that field.

"And I think that's a great strength of us as a nation, our cultural output.

"It's fairly ridiculous given the size of the country how impactful I think we are on a global stage, culturally, and I think that's something we should foster within Wales."

Clayface is in cinemas on 23 October