Star of Shyamalan's 'Glass' Spencer Treat Clark on How the Superhero Trilogy was Ahead of Its Time
*By Amanda Weston*
In an era when superheroes and villains reign supreme at the box office, M. Night Shyamalan's "Glass" is rounding out a trilogy that began before the genre fully entered the mainstream.
"When 'Unbreakable' came out, I think a lot of people were questioning Night, especially studios and stuff, \[saying\], 'really?' A comic book movie? I'm not sure that's the best idea,'" Spencer Treat Clark, one of the film's stars, told Cheddar. "And now people are so well-versed in it. So it'll be interesting to see how audiences approach 'Glass' versus how they approached 'Unbreakable.'"
["Glass"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95ghQs5AmNk) concludes a trilogy that began with "Unbreakable" in 2000, and "Split" in 2016. The film follows three men with extraordinary abilities, Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), and David Dunn (Bruce Willis), as psychiatrist Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson) attempts to treat them for what she says is the delusion of believing they are superheroes.
Clark plays Dunn's son, Joseph, who helps him battle crime. He first played the part as a child actor, and said it was "insane" to reprise the role almost 20 years later.
"It's pretty surreal," Clark said. "I was 11 years old when 'Unbreakable' was made, and now coming back and working with these guys all over again is pretty wild. When Night called me and said 'we're doing this thing,' I couldn't believe it."
A significant portion of the film is set in a psychiatric hospital ー and in a world that is perhaps more grounded in reality than other superhero flicks.
"This movie really explores the realm of what is possible," Clark said. "What's different about this is it's set very much in the realm of reality. It's not world building. It's legitimately saying, 'What if? Are these people real? Is this biology, or is this superhuman?'"
One of Night's signature features is the twist ending, and Clark remained tight-lipped about what fans can expect from the trilogy's conclusion.
"This movie hits hard, is what I'll say," Clark said. "So take that for what it's worth."
"Glass" hits theaters on Friday.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/glass-star-talks-new-m-night-shyamalan-film-modern-day-superheroes).
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