Clay (1987)

In the 1987 Less Than Zero film, Clay comes home from college to find his old circle of friends engaged in drugs. He is appalled and tries to save them from themselves. He is portrayed by actor Andrew McCarthy.

Differences from Clay of the novel
Unlike the Clay of the novel, who is a passive character that indulges in the world of drugs in the same way his friends do, Clay is portrayed in the film as an anti-drugs crusader of sorts. In the film, he is also brown haired, whereas he is blonde in the book; in Imperial Bedrooms (2010), the real Clay observes this as one of the few things that the film got correct. In the novel, Clay is bisexual, but this does not appear to be the case in the film. Clay of the film also loves his girlfriend, whereas in the novel he neglects and mistreats her.