Was Aaron Paul in ‘Clayface’? The ‘Breaking Bad’ star’s DC cameo explained
Fans have watched Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman in ‘Breaking Bad’ for ages. Pinkman was a small-time dealer in Albuquerque who lost nearly everyone he knew by the end of ‘Breaking Bad.’ Then he appeared again in 2019’s Netflix ‘El Camino’ and the final season of ‘Better Call Saul’ in 2022. He was all about New Mexico’s streets and desert, but Gotham City is a whole different gig. Now, he joins DC Studios’ ‘Clayface,’ which premiered in theaters on October 23. However, the appearance lasts only a few seconds and comes with no dialogue.
The moment comes in the finale as Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), a movie star who has gained shape-shifting powers due to an experimental nanotech procedure, is on the run from the gangsters who ruined his career, led by mobster Szabo (David Dencik), in the packed Club Vesuvius. He shape-shifts his way past the thugs, including Sal, one of Szabo’s henchmen, and Rosie, a nightclub singer, adopting their appearances as disguises. One of the faces belongs to Paul, who has shaggy hair and facial hair, and one of the henchmen recognizes him as Matt’s father. Matt takes on his own features again, and Paul does not appear in the film again. Earlier, it was established that Matt’s father was abusive and notorious in Gotham’s underground.
Director James Watkins revealed the details of Paul’s appearance in the movie to Entertainment Weekly, saying, “He has a real brief Easter egg kind of moment.” The flashback scenes of him as Matt’s father were cut out of the final version of the film, so his only appearance is in this nightclub scene. Watkins also noted that they considered a story about a son carrying on his father’s sins but settled on a more universal revenge theme. The news first emerged in June when Feature First magazine reported that Paul had signed up for an undisclosed minor role. Neither Paul nor the studio confirmed the story at the time.
Also, Paul has almost starred in a ‘Batman’ project. While promoting the video game ‘Dispatch’ last October, he told ScreenRant that he was once offered a part in one of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy films, which starred Christian Bale as Batman and was released between ‘Batman Begins’ (2005) and ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ (2012). He did not say which film it was, but that it was a small part. He had to turn it down because he was busy filming another project. Interestingly, he described the part as minor. Meanwhile, ‘Clayface’ also stars Naomi Ackie as Dr. Caitlyn Corr, the scientist who created Matt’s nanotech procedure, with Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan and Nancy Carroll. Written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, it was directed by James Watkins and is the third film in DC Studios’ ‘Chapter One: Gods and Monsters’ slate, which is now in cinemas.
