Why John Borrelli From Clayface Looks So Familiar

It's been 7 years since the release of the very first feature film based entirely on a DC comics villain, with "Joker" going from a huge gamble to a monumental box office sensation. In the time since, we've had Marvel give a whole TV show to "Loki," Sony tried to build an entire cinematic universe based on "Spider-Man" villains that failed spectacularly, and DC gave Joker an underwhelming sequel and a more successful Penguin a TV show.

Now, we have "Clayface," the latest attempt to give a classic comic book villain his own feature film. /Film's review calls the film shapeless and forgettable, with its version of Gotham city indistinguishable from any other place. Though we never see Batman himself, the movie still very much feels like part of the Bat-universe, recognizable to anyone who has ever seen a story set in Gotham. This very much starts with the film's depiction of the world's worst police department, the Gotham City PD, which is as corrupt and inept as we've ever seen in a Batman-related movie. 

But there are some exceptions. Even if we don't meet police commissioner James Gordon in "Clayface," the movie does introduce John Borrelli, a cop who actually cares about upholding the law and keeping Gotham from descending to hell itself. He is also engaged to Dr. Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie), the doctor treating Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries). If Borrelli looked familiar, that's because he's played by Max Minghella, an actor that's been involved in some hugely popular and memorable projects in the past couple of decades, including "The Handmaid's Tale," and "The Social Network."

Max Minghella got his start as an extra on his father Anthony's first "Cold Mountain" starring Jude Law and Nicole Kidman. He then made appearances in films like "Syriana" and starred in "Art School Confidential."

Minghella's breakout role came in 2010 when he played Divya Narendra in "The Social Network," the business partner of the Winklevoss twins and co-founder of Harvard Connection. Minghella was praised for his performance, and was nominated for several awards as part of the film's ensemble, including the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Minghella followed that up with roles in George Clooney's "The Ides of March," Shawn Levy's "The Internship," and "Spiral: From the Book of Saw." He also directed the underrated "Teen Spirit," starring Elle Fanning.

Minghella's biggest role happened on television, when he joined the cast of "The Handmaid's Tale" as Nick Blaine, the driver of Commander Waterford who develops feelings for June — resulting in the two having a daughter together. Nick Blaine's is a rather divisive story, featuring one of the show's most complex arcs, with an equally divisive but also tragic ending.

In addition to "Clayface," Minghella is set to star in Season 4 of "The White Lotus" alongside Vincent Cassel, Chloe Bennet, Ben Kingsley, Alexander Ludwig, and many, many more. Minghella has made a career of characters that look unassuming, but end up being quite heartfelt and charismatic, characters you can't help but root for even if you know they're in for a very bad time. It's why he's perfectly suited to play a doomed cop in Gotham City.