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).
Heila Technologies, a startup that develops hardware and software to integrate renewables and batteries on a microgrid, is helping to power the first clean energy microgrid for Auto Mercado, a top supermarket chain in Costa Rica. The plant will reduce 20 tons of CO2 emissions per year. Heila Technologies CEO Francisco Morocz joins Cheddar Climate to discuss.
Bitcoin had a tough last few days. In just a 24-hour period spanning early Friday morning to early Saturday morning, bitcoin's price went from about $57,000 to $47,000. Patrick McCconlogue, CEO of Overline, joins Cheddar News discuss bitcoin's plunge.
The leading gaming organization and lifestyle brand 100 Thieves just raised $60 million in new funding closing its Series C. This new round of funding has raised the valuation of the organization to about $460 million. John Robinson, president and COO of 100 Thieves, joins Cheddar News to talk about what's next for the company.
The Quorum and Cultique released a new study where moviegoers weighed in on their attitudes on going to the theater right now. Linda Ong, founder of Cultique, and David Herrin, founder and CEO of The Quorum, join Cheddar News to discuss what moviegoers need in order to head back to theaters.
Marvel's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" is gearing up for a sequel following its earlier this year topping the domestic box office to date. Destin Daniel Cretton will return to write and direct while also taking on additional projects in a multi-year deal.
Online platform Assemble is looking to provide career instruction and inspiration to Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) of all age groups for access to industries they might not have been privy to prior. Actor, activist, and one of Assemble's three co-founders, Jesse Williams, and CEO Cortney Woodruff joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to discuss the Assemble mission and what people can expect from the program. "There's a lot of jobs that folks don't know even exist in the first place, and what we know is that there are incredible innovators at the peak of their field that are Black and brown – in every single field," Williams noted.
Cheddar breaks down the challenges of plastic recycling and what one company is doing to help offset the negative environmental impact of single-use plastics.
Sarah Dandashy, Travel Expert, Ask a Concierge, joins Cheddar News to explain why the best gift you can give this holiday season is the gift of travel.