Dial in, Because Mason Thames is Back in Black Phone 2

When Mason Thames took his first steps onto the set of The Black Phone, he was understandably terrified. 

The actor hadn’t yet turned 14 years old when he made his feature film debut in the 2021 supernatural horror/thriller.

“I was so blue,” Thames tells the Observer. “I was working with some amazing filmmakers. It was truly terrifying.” 

Produced by Oscar-nominee Jason Blum, directed by Doctor Strange’s Scott Derrickson, and starring Ethan Hawke, it made sense why Thames was so anxious during filming. But the Dallas native’s natural talent soon eclipsed any nerves he felt. Thames went toe-to-toe with Hawke in The Black Phone, which saw his character, Finney, being abducted by the serial child killer known as the Grabber, only to discover a phone that allows him to communicate with the ghosts of the killer’s victims. 

After the film grossed more than $161 million at the box office, a sequel to The Black Phone was released last week, which saw Thames returning as Finney.

“I had no idea what they were going to do with the sequel, to be honest, because the first movie ended its own story,” he says. “But I knew Scott and everybody involved would have a story to tell. I trusted them — I was along for the ride no matter what.” 

In the years since the release of The Black Phone, Thames’ stock has risen even higher. Earlier this summer, he portrayed the lead in the remake of How to Train Your Dragon, the sequel of which has already been greenlit. He can also be seen in Regretting You, the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s romantic drama, released October 24. 

It’s been a meteoric rise for the young actor, who, while born in Arizona, moved to Dallas, Texas, when he was just a year old. “Dallas is home,” he emphatically declares.

Though his breakout as a performer came through film, Thames’ first taste of performing was ballet. After initially following his sister into dance, his love of movies soon convinced him to pivot to acting. 

Thames says he would seek out anything starring film titans like Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Heath Ledger, and Joaquin Phoenix growing up, while his favorite movie to watch on repeat was Pacific Rim.

“I just re-watched it two days ago. I love that movie. I remember watching that movie in the theater with my dad,” he says. “It was a crazy experience. That was awesome.”

Being from Texas, Thames also had an obligatory love of sports as a kid. He even played football for a few years. But as his acting career got more serious, Thames’ managers and agents advised him to just play touch and flag football instead. 

While he admits to being a little peeved that he doesn’t get to play the sport anymore, he wasn’t going to risk his acting career over an errant injury.

“I’ve always wanted to be part of the acting world,” Thames says. “Stepping into it was a crazy risk.”

And the risk wasn’t exclusive to his own trajectory — Thames and his family moved out to Los Angeles when he was 11 or 12, and while he secured parts in the television shows For All Mankind, Evel, and Walker, it was his casting in The Black Phone that really kick-started his career. 

Thankfully for Thames, he had a fellow Texan and long-respected actor on set to help him acclimate, as Hawke was born in Austin. Thames gleefully recalls the calming advice he received from the Emmy award-winning actor.

“He would remind me that at the end of the day, we’re making a movie, we’re having fun,” Thames recalls. “To this day, that advice still sticks with me. Obviously, some days on set are harder than others, but it’s always worth remembering why we’re there.”

Which makes it all the more amusing that when Thames first learned that he’d be working with Hawke, he didn’t actually know who the Before Sunrise, Training Day and Dead Poets Society actor was.

“My mom knew it was a big deal. So did everyone on set. But I was like, ‘Who is this guy?’,” Thames says. “Then, when I met him, he was such a chill dude. He’s such a fantastic actor. He just loves storytelling. It’s really the same for me now. I’ve since watched all his work and it’s been really great to see how profound he was at such a young age. It was inspiring.” 

Reuniting with Hawke was part of the appeal of Black Phone 2 for Thames, especially as it gave him an opportunity to approach the character of Finney from a more mature and complicated perspective.

“A lot has happened to me personally in five years,” he tells us. “A lot has happened to Finney, too. I wanted to bring my own life experiences to the character.”

Rather than revisiting the first film, though, Thames refused to watch it, as Finney himself spends the movie trying not to remember the traumatizing experience he endured. 

“The first movie was about a teenager going through this horrifying event. The second movie is about a teenager becoming a man, contending with PTSD, and not dealing with what happened,” he says. “He’s bottling up his emotions and anger — he’s scared inside. He’s getting into lots of fights. I think it’s an important story that a lot of people can relate to.”

Propelled on by Derrickson’s “passionate and visionary” direction, which Thames also praises for being so specific and fun, he insists that Black Phone 2 is just as unique, scary and intense as its predecessor.

“It’s a scary horror movie at its core, but I also think there’s so much heart to it,” he says. “That’s my favorite part of both movies: the heart. I hope audiences cry. I hope they scream.” 

Meanwhile, Thames already has his eyes on the future, including another sequel: How to Train Your Dragon 2, slated for 2027.

Ultimately, though, the young actor is just excited to be doing what he loves and living the dream that he left Texas for.

“I just love storytelling,” Thames says. “I love working on characters. I’m just so excited to continue doing it.”

Black Phone 2 is in theaters now.