You Can’t Scare ‘Black Phone 2’ Star Mason Thames Out of a Good Role

Don’t ask Mason Thames what his favorite movie genre is because he can’t decide. Truthfully, he just wants to conquer it all.

The 18-year-old actor, who first rose to fame with his starring role in the 2021 box office horror hit The Black Phone, opposite Ethan Hawke, is now reprising his role years later for the sequel, Black Phone 2.

Getting the opportunity to play Finney again was extra special for Thames because he’s “grown so much since then and so has Finney,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. He was also excited to see his character’s “journey since such a traumatic event and seeing where he’s picked up the pieces that are left and tried to rebuild or tried not to.”

While Thames gets a thrill from the horror genre, he also loves getting to dive into projects on the other end of the spectrum, such as the big-screen adaptation of author Colleen Hoover’s novel Regretting You; the punk-rock adventure comedy inspired by Green Day’s early days, New Year’s Rev; and the live-action remake of the beloved animated film How to Train Your Dragon (which has also scored a sequel after its box office triumph).

Below, Thames opens up about his preparations for Black Phone 2, what fans can expect from Regretting You, what he’s looking forward to most about the How to Train Your Dragon sequel (which the actor says he could talk about “all day, every day for the rest of my life”) and the gift Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong surprised him with.

It’s been such a busy year for you, including the release of Black Phone 2 in October. What was it like to return to this character that launched your career when you were younger?

Finney, I mean, is the reason I went on to do Dragon. He’s such a special, special character to me and he will forever be in my heart. Getting to revisit this character four years later, which, at my age, I started it when I was 12, and I filmed [the sequel] when I was 17, turning 18. It was very special and it was crazy because I’ve grown so much since then, and so has Finney. And getting to see his journey since such a traumatic event and seeing where he’s picked up the pieces that are left and tried to rebuild or tried not to, you know. I can’t really imagine how somebody like that would go from there and getting to see his progression and how he deals with it is truly fantastic.

With you and your character, Finney, being older in the sequel, how did you prepare for the role differently compared to the first film?

For this one, Finney, I feel like his way of dealing with it is trying not to, because he’s a 17-year-old kid and when it happened to him, he was 13, so he has horrible PTSD and trying to deal with The Grabber and how he haunts him, and him coming back is something that he never thought he’d have to deal with, but something that he kind of knew was inevitable. And The Grabber really just wants revenge on Finney and to do it, he has to take somebody that Finney loves because after what happened to Finney, The Grabber trying to kill him, he almost wouldn’t care as much. After what The Grabber did to him, he really took a part of Finney, and I feel like in this story, it’s really Finney trying to find himself again and find the kid that was once there

Since the first film was such a success at the box office, what do you think viewers are going to enjoy the most about the sequel?

I think the build-up of seeing Finney and The Grabber back is very exciting for me because that was such a memory for me, getting to work with Ethan [Hawke] on that set. And we had one specific scene that we had in the phone booth, and the end was pretty cool, but that scene specifically was very cool to film and just hearing them talk to each other and get ready for like the final showdown, it was pretty cool.

The horror genre is having such a moment this year, especially with the success of Sinners and Weapons. Having now starred in two horror films, why do you think that is? 

I love the horror genre so much and especially the fan base around it. I think they’re very passionate. I think the love it’s been getting, and especially the filmmakers behind horror movies, they’re so talented. And what I love so much about it is most of them are lower budget, so they can take that risk and really surprise an audience, and it’s very important, very special.

You also have the big-screen adaptation of author Colleen Hoover’s Regretting You releasing in October. Knowing it’s a beloved book, did you feel any pressure going into the project?

Yeah, I mean, same thing when I started Hiccup [in How to Train Your Dragon]. That character and that story meant so much to me and especially the fans. And the fans really love the story of Miller and Clara (Mckenna Grace), and it’s really my job to bring him to life the best I can and really please the fans and please myself because the book is truly fantastic.

How did you approach bringing Miller to life off the page, and did you draw from anything other than the source material?

Me and Josh [Boone, director] had a lot of time to talk about the character and where we wanted him to be in his backstory because he’s such a caring and understanding person because he went through a lot as a kid. He lost both of his parents. Basically, his grandpa raised him, so he kind of had to grow up very young. So it’s kind of that deep thing that Miller has, after Clara’s grief, to really be there for her and understand, which is a very Important thing, because people grieve a lot in very different ways.

Regretting You has an incredible cast, including you, Mckenna Grace, Allison Williams, Dave Franco and Scott Eastwood. What was it like working with them, and do you have a favorite BTS moments with them? 

Oh my God, it’s so hard to choose. Dave is awesome! He’s a close friend of mine. We’re doing a movie right after this. Alison is so wonderful. She’s such a sweet human being. And McKenna is, of course, so awesome and I love her so much. We had so much time to build that chemistry and build our relationship and it was awesome. I remember me and Dave and McKenna went courtside on a basketball game during filming and it was genuinely the most fun I’ve ever had (Laughs). Me and Dave were just jumping on each other the whole time, and McKenna’s favorite moment was when the mascot came and gave her a high five. It was adorable.

You also led the live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon earlier this summer. Seeing how successful it was at the box office, what’s your reaction to that? 

I can talk about it all day, every day for the rest of my life. I think that movie is the most special thing I’ve ever done. That is my dream role, and Dean [DeBlois, director] is so fantastic. I’m so grateful and lucky that the fans really enjoyed the film and the franchise. I’m very excited to start the second one.

Do you have a favorite part about playing Hiccup and bringing this beloved animated film to life through live action?

I know that character like the back of my hand, even before doing that job. And the growth into a chief in the making is such a special moment for me and Hiccup, and I think a lot of people can take that vulnerability and make it strength, which is what Hiccup did. And I think it’s a very important message.

I know you’re about to start filming the sequel. What are you looking forward to most about returning to that set?

My fire swords. I really love my fire sword. I think it’s really cool (Laughs).

You also worked on another movie coming out soon, New Year’s Rev. What was it like teaming up with the legendary band Green Day for the project?  

It was so awesome! They’re just such cool people. They’re so chill, down to earth, and it’s just nice to sit down and have chill conversations with Billie [Joe Armstrong]. Then you see him up on stage and he turns into an absolute monster. Green Day was so cool, and I did so much research beforehand because my character is very closely based off of Billie and his story with his wife and the first experience on their tour. And I’m really learning to play the guitar, and Billie did write a couple of original songs for me. His son wrote some as well, and Jakob was awesome, so I had a really good time.

I was told Billie Joe Armstrong wrote you five new songs to sing in the film. Did he help you with preparations when it came to singing?

I have a little background of singing, so that part was very exciting, but I’ve never done punk rock. So Billy sent me a guitar on the set of Black Phone 2, and it was very sweet, so I started learning there.

Having seen so much success early in your career, how have you balanced navigating the industry while also just growing up as a teen?

The most important thing in all of this is really just keeping your roots and spending time with family and going home. You know, I’m always learning. I’ve been doing this for about seven or six years now, which is crazy because I still feel so new to this, but I’m so grateful to be a part of this industry and be able to bring these stories and these characters to life.

I remember my dad, he came and visited for the first time on a set for Dragon one, and it was such an a special experience, especially to see him watching me work and see how everything is going and stuff. From each co-star and each director, I’m learning and growing, and I love that I get to do this.

What’s your perfect day off from filming look like?

I like fishing, spending time with family and people that I love, but I just like to chill out, go home, chill out in Texas with my family, my dogs and just be surrounded by people I love is very important.

Looking ahead, where would you like to see yourself career-wise in the next five years?   

I’ve kind of just been going with the flow of things ever since. I’ve been so fortunate and lucky and hopefully I’m just still working (Laughs). Hopefully I’m still out here living my dream, but hopefully one day I can direct something.

If you had to describe what makes Mason Thames, Mason Thames, what would you say?

I should ask my mom or something. I feel like I’m a pretty easygoing dude. I’m a pretty chill dude, I’d say.