Mason Thames and Mckenna Grace: From On-Screen Romance to Real-Life Chemistry in Two Back-to-Back Films

Mason Thames and McKenna Grace, two of Hollywood's hottest young stars, are already debuting their second movie together. Thames, 19, sparked romance rumors with Grace, 20, last year while they promoted their movie Regretting You, in which they play two teenagers who fall in love amid a family tragedy. Ten months later, the young couple star in Nimrods, a movie inspired by the career of Green Day that sees Thames as a musician whose band receives an opportunity to open for the legendary power trio.

"So we did Green Day first," Thames tells PEOPLE in a recent interview, regarding the order he and Grace filmed Nimrods and Regretting You, as well as his recent movies The Black Phone 2 and Idiots. "Green Day movie first, and then we did Regretting You right after, and then I didn't film Idiots until maybe… It was a couple months, maybe six, maybe seven months later. It wasn't too close to each other, but it was just so wild. The coincidence of two back-to-back is awesome, and we love it."

A Shared Journey

While Regretting You hit theaters first, Nimrods is the first movie the young couple worked on together. "I'm so happy that we can finally release it to everybody, because it's felt like my little secret and my little experience, but I really hope people go to see it and feel the love that was used to make this movie, because I'm really happy with it," he says now.

In Nimrods, Grace portrays a young woman who meets and flirts with Thames' character as he and his band take an impromptu road trip to open for a Green Day concert. The film, which draws inspiration from Green Day's real-life career, blends music, comedy, and coming-of-age drama in a way that has already resonated with early audiences.

The real-life couple have been connected romantically on the screen in both their movies together, and Thames certainly appears open to working with Grace again. "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 says.

A Musical Connection

Nimrods allowed Thames to explore his musical side, a passion he shares with his character. The film's focus on a band's journey to open for Green Day allowed him to immerse himself in the world of rock music. "I got to learn a lot about the music industry and what it's like to be in a band," Thames says. "It was a really cool experience."

The presence of Green Day themselves in the film added an extra layer of authenticity. The trio, consisting of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool, appear as themselves in the movie, lending their stamp of approval to the project.

Preparation and Chemistry

Thames also says that he and Grace were able to begin working on Nimrods together months before production started while they were both spending time in Toronto filming separate projects.

"I was filming Black Phone 2, and I was in Toronto, and she was also filming a movie in Toronto, so we were hanging out a lot, and we just had time," he says. "This was maybe a couple months before filming Nimrods, and we just had time to go over the Nimrods script and talk about it and play with it and change some things. We loved it. So when we got to set, we were so prepared, and we had a blast."

Their off-screen chemistry clearly translated to the screen, as their performances in both films have been praised for their authenticity and emotional depth.

A Star-Studded Cast

Nimrods also stars Kyle Coffman, Ryan Foust, Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey, Keen Ruffalo, Fred Armisen and the real-life members of Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool, who play themselves in the movie, which is in theaters now.

The inclusion of actors like Fischer and Kinsey, known for their work on The Office, adds a comedic element to the film, while Armisen brings his signature quirky humor to the ensemble.

Thames' next movie, Idiots, is in theaters Aug. 28, while Grace costars in this fall's The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Both actors have busy schedules ahead, but their shared experiences on Nimrods and Regretting You have solidified their bond both on and off screen.

As Thames says, their collaboration has been "a blast," and fans can look forward to seeing more from this talented duo in the future.