Mason Thames, the 18-year-old actor whose career took off with the 2021 horror hit The Black Phone, is having a banner year in 2025. With three major films released in quick succession—How to Train Your Dragon, The Black Phone 2, and Regretting You—Thames has found himself not just juggling roles, but sometimes even mixing them up. It’s a high-class problem for a young actor who, by his own admission, just wants to conquer every genre Hollywood throws at him.
Earlier this summer, Thames starred as Hiccup in the live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon, a film that soared at the box office and has already secured a sequel. For Thames, playing Hiccup was more than just another role—it was a dream come true. As he told The Hollywood Reporter, "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."
But the transition from Hiccup to his next role wasn’t as seamless as one might expect. Thames filmed How to Train Your Dragon right before stepping back into the shoes of Finney for The Black Phone 2. After embodying Hiccup for nine months straight, Thames found himself slipping into the character’s voice on the set of the horror sequel. As he recounted to Dead Meat at the premiere of The Black Phone 2, "How to Train Your Dragon was right before I did Black Phone 2, so I was talking a lot faster. I was still kind of doing the Hiccup voice. Because I was doing that for nine months straight. So I was kind of getting out of it, and Scott [Derrickson, director] would sometimes, over his microphone, just go, ‘I hear Hiccup.’ And I’m like, ‘Ah! My bad, my bad.’ So I’d slow down my speaking and kind of get back into it."
It’s a relatable hiccup (pun intended) for an actor whose schedule has been packed with projects that couldn’t be more different. The Black Phone 2, which hit theaters in October 2025, is a far cry from the family-friendly fantasy of How to Train Your Dragon. The horror sequel, rated R, sees Thames’ character Finney grappling with PTSD and the lingering trauma of his ordeal with The Grabber—a villain played by Ethan Hawke who returns to haunt Finney’s dreams. The sequel delves deep into Finney’s struggles, showing him smoking weed and wrestling with anger as he tries to rebuild his life. "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," Thames explained to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film’s climactic showdown between Finney and The Grabber, set in a phone booth, was a particular highlight for Thames. "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," he said. The movie has been well-received by critics, with CinemaBlend giving it 4 out of 5 stars and calling it "haunting, hypnotic" and surpassing expectations.
Thames’ busy 2025 doesn’t stop there. He also stars in Regretting You, a romantic drama based on Colleen Hoover’s beloved novel, which hits theaters on October 24. Thames plays Miller, a character he describes as deeply caring due to a difficult upbringing—Miller lost both his parents and was raised by his grandfather. "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," Thames told The Hollywood Reporter. The film also stars Mckenna Grace, Allison Williams, Dave Franco, and Scott Eastwood, and Thames credits the camaraderie among the cast for making the experience special. One memorable moment? "Me and Dave and McKenna went courtside on a basketball game during filming and it was genuinely the most fun I’ve ever had. 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."
Thames’ versatility doesn’t end with horror and romance. He’s also starring in New Year’s Rev, a punk-rock adventure comedy inspired by Green Day’s early days, and he worked closely with Billie Joe Armstrong, who wrote original songs for the film. Armstrong even gifted Thames a guitar on the set of The Black Phone 2, helping him learn to play for his role. "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. Then you see him up on stage and he turns into an absolute monster," Thames recounted. The experience of learning to sing punk rock and perform Armstrong’s new songs was a new challenge for Thames, but one he embraced wholeheartedly.
Despite his rapid ascent in Hollywood and the whirlwind of roles, Thames remains grounded. He credits his family and his Texas roots for keeping him centered. "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," he said. On his days off, Thames enjoys fishing and relaxing with his family and dogs back home.
Looking ahead, Thames is excited to return to the How to Train Your Dragon sequel—he’s especially eager to wield his character’s fire sword again—and hopes to keep building his career, maybe even stepping behind the camera one day. For now, though, he’s focused on enjoying the ride, learning from each project, and, above all, staying true to himself. As he put it, "Hopefully I’m still out here living my dream, but hopefully one day I can direct something."
For audiences, Thames’ packed 2025 is a testament to both his talent and his work ethic. Whether he’s facing dragons, ghosts, or the challenges of young love, Mason Thames is proving himself as one of Hollywood’s most promising young stars—and he’s just getting started.
