Mason Thames says he and McKenna Grace had already worked together once before “Regretting You” made them a screen couple, revealing that the pair shot the Green Day-inspired comedy “Nimrods” first, even though the Colleen Hoover adaptation reached theaters months earlier.
“Green Day movie first, and then we did Regretting You right after,” Thames told People, calling the release order a coincidence that landed both films back to back. “It was just so wild,” he added, saying he and Grace embraced the timing.
In “Nimrods,” Thames plays Tommy, a teenager whose band, Analog Dogs, lands a slot opening for Green Day on New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles. Along the way, his character meets Olivia, played by Grace, a fellow punk fan he starts pursuing after watching her perform.
Both actors also contributed songs to the film’s soundtrack. Co-writer and director Lee Kirk praised the young cast, telling Deadline that Grace and Thames were eager, creative collaborators who embraced whatever the production asked of them, and said he was fortunate Grace agreed to include one of her own songs in the movie.
“Nimrods” opened in theaters August 14. “Regretting You,” directed by Josh Boone and based on Hoover’s novel, premiered in October 2025 and cast Thames and Grace as grieving teenagers, Miller and Clara, who find comfort in each other after both lose a parent. The two actors have said they spent nearly a year building a rapport before that production began, a bond that carried into their real-life relationship, which has fueled persistent public speculation since a video of the pair went viral earlier in 2025.
Thames has also credited Grace with helping him prepare for his “Nimrods” role, saying she put together guitar lessons tailored to his character’s need to look convincing as a musician onstage.
Asked whether the two might collaborate again, Thames left the door open. “If we were ever going to do another job together, we’d want it to be so special and so awesome, so whenever that moment arises, we’re going to snatch it up,” he said.
