MASON THAMES IS AN EXPERT AT HAVING FUN ON SET. WITH A STELLAR FILMOGRAPHY, THE 18-YEAR-OLD HAS A TRACK RECORD OF JUST HOW VERSATILE ACTING CAN BE, FROM HIS BREAKOUT ROLE IN THE SUSPENSEFUL THE BLACK PHONE TO A PRAISED INTERPRETATION OF HICCUP IN THE LIVE-ACTION ITERATION OF HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON. KICKSTARTING THE TEXAN STAR’S NEW ERA IS FINNEY’S COMEBACK IN THE BLACK PHONE 2, WITH A MORE MATURE VERSION OF THE CHARACTER FOUR YEARS LATER. THIS FALL, THAMES ALSO EMBODIES MILLER ADAMS IN THE UPCOMING ROMANTIC DRAMA ADAPTATION OF THE NAMESAKE NOVEL, REGRETTING YOU, NOT LONG AFTER PLAYING AN UP-AND-COMING ROCKSTAR IN GREEN DAY-SOUNDTRACKED NEW YEARS REV, WHICH PREMIERED AT THE TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL. DOES HE EVER HAVE A BREAK? “NOT REALLY, BUT I WOULD GIVE ANYTHING TO BE DOING WHAT I’M DOING RIGHT NOW,” HE SAYS, UNSTOPPABLE.

Hi, Mason! How are you today? Are you at home?

I’m good, I’m happy to be here. No, I'm in my apartment, in Atlanta. I'm here filming for a bit.

Do you have a day off?

No, I think my call time is a little later. Today might be a night shoot, so luckily, I got to sleep in a bit.

What else do you like to do when you're off?

Sleep, talk to friends, and fish. That’s a perfect day.

Let's talk about your upcoming projects. I want to start with The Black Phone 2 – when did you first learn that a sequel to the film was being made?

I found out back in 2022. There obviously wasn't a script yet, and I had no idea about it, but then I signed up for it. When I did The Black Phone, it was my first movie, and I didn’t know what to expect whatsoever. I didn’t know if people were going to like it, but they did, and the reception for it was so heartwarming and just crazy. Finney was the beginning of everything, so he means a lot to me. Coming back to it was a lot of fun, especially four years later. And, you know, I've changed a lot since then, so has Finney. Getting to do that and seeing where he is now is awesome.

Full look **Saint Laurent** by Anthony Vaccarello

Apart from the age factor, what are the main differences that you notice in Finney now, when we compare the two films?

Oh my god, kind of everything. It’s really hard to recognise who Finney is as a person anymore, but the only kind of glimpse you still have is his love for his family. That's kind of something he still keeps in him, wanting to protect his sister and the relationship with his dad. He's dealing with bad PTSD from what happened [in the previous story], and I feel like his way of dealing with it is really trying not to deal with it at all. Because of that, he is just a very angry person, and there's a lot of sadness beneath it. In the first one, it’s all about Finney’s innocence and sweetness, especially in his relationship with Robin, but it feels like all that is kind of lost in this one. It's showing what The Grabber [played by Ethan Hawke] took away from him. Finney is a loner; he likes to think he's okay with that, and it's his choice. But in reality, even if he tried, what The Grabber did to him is gonna stick with him for a very long time until he deals with it.

I read that you took inspiration from old films such as The 400 Blows to create Finney. What else inspired you to build the character this time?

For this one, it was mainly the first Black Phone. I just had to take inspiration from that, but differently. I heard a lot of stories of survivors of kidnapping who give these talks to try and help other people. Hearing their stories really showed me a lot about PTSD and the stuff that can happen to a person when they go through those events in life.

How was working with Ethan Hawke again?

He's so awesome, such an incredibly talented actor. I look up to him so much, so getting to share this experience with him again, and bringing Finney and The Grabber back one more time, is pretty crazy to see on screen. I’m excited for people to see it!

What did he teach you?

Especially with how serious and dark The Grabber is, it’s mainly just the way he went into it and was really breathing that character. I was 13 in the first movie, and he would just come up to me and be like, “Are you ok? I’m so sorry, this is so creepy.” And I was just smiling and having a good time. [Laughs]

Were you scared at all at the time?

Genuinely, not at all. But in the second movie, probably a little bit more, just because I've learned a lot since then as an actor. Getting into the character of Finney is a lot darker [this time]. I needed to be in a darker headspace, so it was all very real, and I was feeling those emotions that Finney was feeling. Going through that, in hindsight, was really fun. Being an actor, putting yourself into a character and feeling those emotions is special, it's magical.

Shifting genres a bit, this autumn you also star in your first romance/drama film. Could you tell us about your character, Miller, from Regretting You?

I've always wanted to do a movie like that growing up, but the thing about Miller Adams that I love so much is that he's not just this cool, mysterious guy who the girl gets at the end of the movie and they live happily ever after. He's just ‘the dude,’ and he's a guy who's been through a lot. He lost both of his parents; he was raised by his grandpa, and because of that, they are very close, and I think he had to grow up very fast. So, I'd like to think he's a very mature person. McKenna Grace's character, Claire, goes through a big heartbreak, and I feel like, out of all people, Miller can really understand that and be there for her and help her grieve. I feel like it's two broken hearts, just kind of finding each other.

Left Full look **Prada**
Right Full look **N°21**

What did playing a part in a romantic film represent to you as an actor?

It was another bucket list item checked off. I'm a hopeless romantic at heart. Getting to do a movie like that, having so much fun with it and being proud of the finished product, I think people are really gonna enjoy it.

What is your go-to romance?

Depends on my mood. But The Notebook is definitely up there.

You worked with Dave Franco in Regretting You, and now you two are doing another film together called The Shitheads? How did that happen?

Yeah, it's what I'm doing right now, actually. Dave's been attached to this movie and trying to get it made for a long time with a director named Macon Blair, and he is so good, one of the best directors and most fun I've worked with. Dave is so awesome. I was auditioning for that movie while we were filming Regretting You, and Dave and I kept on talking to each other. And then the director, at that time, was also working with Ethan Hawke, and I guess he would ask Ethan stuff about me, and he would just say very nice things. I did my tape, and I had so much fun with it, because this is a character like I've never played before. I got the job, and Dave and I have been texting back and forth every day since then, just excited about this shoot. Dave is like my brother, and we figured out that we're very similar. I love that guy.

You have been under the public eye for quite a while now, but you’ve always managed to maintain a more low-profile attitude. How do you do that, and why is that important to you?

I just feel like the internet itself can be a crazy place sometimes, especially when you're under the public eye. If you're on it too much, it might eat you up a little bit, in good and bad ways. It could give you an ego, it can make you insecure, and I don't want any of those things. I try my best to stay out of it as much as I can. But my sister sends me all of the fan stuff, I see all of the edits, and those are awesome, they are really adorable, and I really appreciate those. But I've just kind of been a semi-private-ish person, I guess, when it comes to stuff like that.

You don’t use your social media then?

I mean, I have Instagram, I have TikTok, and I go on there every once in a while and post. And sometimes, I doom scroll on TikTok.

Back in June, you attended your first fashion week in Paris. What would you say your connection with fashion and style is? Do you like dressing up?

I love fashion so much. I would say it's a new thing, but not anymore. I've been really into it for the past year or two. Getting to go to a fashion show was one of the best experiences I've had, being an actor and getting to do stuff like that. And seeing those designs and what Pharrell did at the [Louis Vuitton] show was incredible. I just want to continue to be open and work with new designers.