In DC’s Clayface, the film’s titular anti-hero is a guy whose body learns to do some pretty weird stuff. Taking on the role of the Batman villain, Tom Rhys Harries plays a character able to shape-shift at will, often with horrific results (no spoilers here).
But before he could think about taking on the role of actor Matt Hagen (whose brutal beating by the mob eventually leads him to become his malleable alter ego), Rhys Harries had to contend with the limitations of his own body.
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“Tom approached me three months before shooting began,” says Dan Avasilcai, sports injuries therapist and strength coach to the likes of Ralph Fiennes, and Harris Dickinson.
The training plan included all the standard stuff movie stars do to get in shape, but with one massive caveat. “Tom dropped a massive bomb,” says Avasilcai. "Just weeks prior, he had completely torn the ACL in his right leg.”
As a coach and sports injuries therapist, Avasilcai was up for the challenge of building a solid physique while navigating severe muscle atrophy and a major injury.
Having worked together on the other Odyssey movie, The Return, a few years back, the pair had a level of trust that let them hit the ground running (or, limping). Still, things didn’t look great when they reconnected for the new project. “The muscle atrophy was already highly visible in my initial assessment,” Avasilcai says, adding that Rhys Harries’ right leg was noticeably thinner and that the injury was impacting how he walked.
To stabilize the leg without risking delaying the filming schedule, they set about working on controlled isolation machines where movement patterns could be strictly dictated. For added safety, they used a leg brace for certain exercises.
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“Being in the gym allowed us to control every variable,” says Avasilcai. Initially, they worked through the following sets during each session:
- Seated single-leg extensions targeted the quadriceps with zero structural impact on the ACL
- Seated single-leg hamstring curls were restricted in their range of motion to prevent over-stretching the posterior chain
- Single-leg presses were kept controlled, adjusting depth dynamically and strictly avoiding joint lockout
- Hip abductor and adductor machines strengthened the glutes and inner thighs to support the knee joint externally
- Static wall-sits concluded each session to safely build muscular endurance in the quads
As Rhys Harries’ strength and confidence recovered, they were able to introduce compound movements and lifts (like controlled squats and lunges to build size) without putting too much stress on the ACL. At the same time, they worked on his upper body with heavy resistance workouts.
As for the diet, Avasilcai reveals that he was under a secret directive from the studio not to let Rhys Harries get so lean that he couldn’t still fit into the Clayface prosthetics. A typical day’s eating for Rhys Harries might include two eggs and 75 grams of salmon at 7:30 a.m., a mid-morning protein bar, a chicken salad lunch, chicken, veg and rice mid-afternoon, a protein shake, then an 8 p.m. dinner of steak and vegetables. In the end, he was down to 6% body fat.
“Coaching him has been an absolute privilege,” says Avasilcai. “Preparing for this role required a deep level of trust. Even while managing a torn ACL, his dedication and drive never wavered—especially on leg days.”
A version of this originally appeared in British GQ.