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Mason Thames revealed there was some unintentional overlap between characters during two of his recent projects.
Thames caught up exclusively with PEOPLE ahead of the release of his latest film, Black Phone 2. During the conversation, the actor reflected on the experience of reprising his role as Finney in the dark horror franchise directly on the heels of playing Hiccup in the live-action kids’ movie How to Train Your Dragon.
“Yeah, I mean, I went from How to Train Your Dragon to Black Phone 2, and that was a process of getting out of Hiccup,” Thames, 18, recalls.
“ ‘Cause [Hiccup is] such a — it was such a specific character, and I really wanted to get it down. So … I worked a lot [on] the physicality and the voice … and going straight to Black Phone [I] was maybe sometimes talking a little faster [than Finney], maybe sounding like Hiccup,” he continues.
Universal Pictures
He adds, “And [the director], Scott [Derrickson], would just go, ‘I hear Hiccup.’ I was like, ‘Ah, damn. Sorry, sorry.’ But it’s kind of a thing where it is a process of getting outta some characters.”
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The Regretting You actor went on to tell PEOPLE that returning to the world of Black Phone — the first of which launched his career in 2021 — was a “crazy” experience.
“I mean, it’s crazy, ’cause you know, it’s been five years since I’ve filmed that movie and just coming back — so much has changed, you know, as an actor and obviously as a person,” he explains.
He also said he felt he was able to bring “life experience” to his character this time around.
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“Because he [Finney] … is a very complicated character, and to me that’s always the most fun and most challenging, because you really wanna break down that character and get to the core of it. And the core of Finney was just, you know, that kid from the first movie … covered by this shell of the trauma of what happened to him. So it was a surreal experience coming back to him,” he says.
Thames also opened up about how he feels about recently being named PEOPLE’s Sexiest New Heartthrob.
“Hell, yeah. As you should be,” the actor jokes.
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He adds, “No … thank you, guys. Thank you, guys. I don’t know who voted, but I appreciate it. And I had so many of my friends text me about it, and they were all making fun of me … It’s really great. It’s an honor.”
PEOPLE went on to ask the star if the newly minted title has affected his DMs.
“I don’t check my DMs,” he replies, adding, “There’s probably been some crazy stuff [in there].”
In addition to everything else he has going on, the young actor recently achieved a rare movie milestone: He became the first actor to have three No. 1 films at the box office in a single year since Jim Carrey in 1994.
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Thames’ three hit movies of 2025 include: How to Train Your Dragon, Black Phone 2 and Regretting You. (Carrey’s three films were The Mask, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Dumb and Dumber.)
“I’m still a bit lost for words,” Thames says when talking to PEOPLE about the achievement. “I’m just honored. Like, it’s really, really crazy to even be in that conversation.”
Black Phone 2 is now available to rent or buy at home.
