ONCE Ballet student, MASON THAMES DIDN’T REALIzE THAT SWIFTLY MOVING FROM THE STAGE TO THE BIG SCREEN WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME. NATURALLY FLOWING THROUGH ROLES SINCE HIS BIG BREAK AS FINNEY Blake IN THE SUSPENSEFUL HORROR THE BLACK PHONE, THE 17-YEAR-OLD TEXAN STAR HAS ALREADY PROVEN TO BE AS VERSATILE AS SOME OF HIS MORE MATURE COUNTERPARTS. BOOKED AND BUSY, HE NOW CELEBRATES PLAYING ONE OF HIS ALL-TIME FAVOURITE CHARACTERS, HICCUP HORRENDOUS HADDOCK III, IN THE LIVE-ACTION VERSION OF HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON. THAMES SPOKE TO BTB DIGITAL ABOUT TAKING ON HIS CHILDHOOD HERO, LEARNING THE ACTING TROPES FROM GERARD BUTLER, AND HIS NEXT ROLE AS GREEN DAY’S FRONTMAN, BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG.

How to Train Your Dragon is a much-loved franchise worldwide, for both the original films and the book series. Were you a fan of the story before getting the part of Hiccup?

As long as I can remember, How to Train Your Dragon has been a part of my life. It means the world to me. Growing up, my friends and even people my brother’s age all loved it. The movie can appeal to anybody, which is the reason why I love it so much. I love the character and the fact that I can be a part of this world and step into Hiccup’s shoes. He has taught me a lot when I was watching him on screen as a kid.

How do you think that your familiarity with the original story helped you to create your version of Hiccup?

Going into it was like, I know Hiccup, and I know him so well. I could do a carbon copy of him, but it would feel disrespectful towards the original. What Jay [Baruchel, who voiced the character in the first series of films] did in that role was so iconic, and his performance was amazing. So, it was more of what are all of the characteristics I want to keep the same: his wittiness, his sarcasm, his awkwardness. I wanted to keep those, but also to experiment and find out what I could do differently, to add new colours to him and do my version at the end of the day.

Were you concerned about what the fans of the original story would think of the film?

Yeah. I mean, I think my favourite reaction to the film is from people who were nervous or just did not want to see the movie whatsoever. Then they go, and I just see their faces after. They start talking about it, and admit they were wrong – they love the movie. That, I think, is my favourite reaction. But I totally get sceptical or nervous about seeing this film, because you may be scared that it might tarnish what the original was. But, to me, it’s a love letter to the original.

From the previous interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, you and Nico Parker [who plays Astrid Hofferson in the live-action] have very good chemistry on and off set. Did you know her before filming?

Well, I first met her during the chemistry read. She is the kindest person ever, she’s very sweet. Such a genuine person, and even better actress. Doing those scenes with her as Hiccup and Astrid, because of our chemistry off-screen, it was really easy for us to build that. We had a lot of time during pre-production to spend together and become friends, which I am very thankful for.

Is there anything that you learned from the actors in the film that you would like to share?

I learned a lot from everybody, but I think I’m gonna give this one to Gerry [as referring to Gerard Butler, who plays Hiccup's father, Stoick the Vast]. He would walk on set, and he would have this energy, this rawness. The emotion that he would bring to each scene elevated the set, the vibe. I’d go into those scenes, and he would just bring it out of me, which I am really grateful for.

You are a trained dancer, right?

I am! Yeah, I did ballet for about four years.

Do you think that your background in ballet helps you with acting?

I would say yes, a lot. Because I think [dancing] taught me a lot about how to take direction, about physicality, stunt work and stuff like that. Hiccup is a very expressive character; he runs and he kind of bounces. A lot of the stunt stuff that made me fall a lot, I think, ballet helped me with that.

Do you still dance?

I do, with my sister. [Laughs] My sister is a fantastic ballerina – she’s been doing it her whole life. She did it before me, and I was the little kid in the backseat whenever she used to go to a class. I used to walk out, and the teachers used to be like, “Hey, do you want to take a couple of classes, just for fun?” I was six years old, so I just did it. And I had a lot of fun; it taught me a lot.

Was the transition from dancing to acting a natural process? Did you always want to become an actor?

Even before that, I’ve always been a film nerd. I just love movies, and I didn’t know what to do with that feeling. Just going to the movie theatre was awesome, but I never thought I could be a part of making a movie. But doing ballet, I used to tour around Texas. I would play [the character] Fritz in The Nutcracker and perform on stage. I feel like that kind of lit a fire in me. I didn’t know what it was or what to do with it, and I realised that ballet wasn’t really my thing, but I liked the performing aspect of it. So my agency thought that maybe they could send me to a couple of auditions, take me to LA, and that’s what we did.

Your most well-known roles so far are Hiccup and Finney Blake in The Black Phone, which are very distinct films. But you seem to be adaptable, as you’ve done comedy, sci-fi, and thriller. Do you have a preferred genre, or are you still experimenting at this stage?

I would say that maybe I am experimenting, but I’ve been so lucky. I did comedy, and I just got offered a romantic film. I did sci-fi, fantasy, horror. It’s kind of this thing where I am checking things off my bucket list. I will see which one I like the most [Laughs], but I am kind of just having fun.

Do you have a dream role? Who would you really like to play?

I mean, I kind of already got it with Hiccup. But I will go with what any kid my age would say, Spider-Man. I know. [Laughs]

There is a sequel to The Black Phone to be released this year, and you were also cast to play a lead role in New Years Rev. What other plans do you have for your future as an actor, and what are you most excited about?

I am very excited about a lot of those. I just finished a film called Regretting You, which was a lot of fun. It’s an adaptation of a Colleen Hoover book done by Josh Boone, who directed The Fault in Our Stars. Working with McKenna Grace, Dave Franco, Scott Eastwood, and Allison Williams, they were all so fun and such a cool vibe, a cool cast. New Years Rev tells a loose version of Green Day’s life and their stories, and how they first started touring and going around America. We got to meet the band, to feel their vibe and also watch them up on stage. Taking that into the film was a lot of fun, because my character is based on Bill [Billie Joe Armstrong, Green Day’s vocalist].

That’s so cool! Did you get to play any instruments or sing?

Yeah, I did! I learned the guitar for that job, as much as I could. It was a good excuse to tell my friends that Billie Joe taught me how to play. [Laughs]

[Laughs] It’s a good skill to have on your CV…

Yeah! He and his son wrote about five original songs for me to perform, and I had a blast.

Were you a fan of Green Day before?

I was, and my sister was an even bigger fan. The moment I got the call for it, I called her, and she was like, “You better do that job or I’m gonna kill you!”

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Discover the full story in our FW25 Issue - out next Fall25

Interview by Ketlyn Araujo

Photography by Shane McCauley

Fashion by Oretta Corbelli

All clothes Zadig&Voltaire

Grooming by Natalia Bruschi

EIC Michael Marson

Casting by Imagemachine CS

Stylist’s assistant Allegra Gargiulo