{"id":138005,"date":"2025-10-22T09:41:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T09:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/138005\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T09:41:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T09:41:07","slug":"regretting-you-stars-mckenna-grace-and-mason-thames-talk-intimacy-in-first-romance-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/138005\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Regretting You\u2019 Stars Mckenna Grace and Mason Thames Talk Intimacy in First Romance Film"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lovergirls newest obsession arrives in the form of Colleen Hoover\u2019s latest book-to-film <\/a>adaptation, \u201cRegretting You,\u201d which features young stars Mckenna Grace and Mason Thames in this melodrama surrounding first love, second chances and grief.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fans have been blushing since the start of the film\u2019s production, with promotional TikToks<\/a> and cast press interviews building anticipation for the chemistry between actors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Directed by Josh Boone, the star-studded romance deals with the complexities of family and grief, emphasizing its slogan, \u201cWhen life pulls you down, love lifts you up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The film follows the emotionally immature Clara Grant (Grace) as she navigates a budding romance with popular sweetheart Miller Adams (Thames) amid the sudden and scandalous loss of her father and aunt that leaves her mother Morgan Grant (Allison Williams) and uncle Jonah Sullivan (Dave Franco) to speculate what the two were doing together at the time of their death.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a roundtable interview with Grace (\u201cGhostbusters: Frozen Empire,\u201d \u201cGifted\u201d) and Thames (\u201cHow to Train Your Dragon,\u201d \u201cThe Black Phone\u201d) Grace told The Phoenix about the personal experiences she drew from and used for her first leading lady performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a girl and having a mom, I feel like I could definitely relate to Clara and Morgan, and so I definitely pulled from that a lot,\u201d Grace said. \u201cIn Miller and Clara\u2019s relationship, it\u2019s two people that are going through a lot that are there for each other, and I\u2019ve experienced that in my life, and I think that it\u2019s one of the most beautiful experiences that you can have.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite the tragic and steamy premise of the film, Thames said he didn\u2019t find any scenes too intimidating.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing was really too challenging, I think we all just had a lot of fun to be honest,\u201d Thames said. \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to do a movie like this. I\u2019m a hopeless romantic at heart, so the fact that I get to do something like this, and do it with Mckenna, it was a lot of fun and I was living a little dream of mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following the scandal and lawsuit<\/a> that ensued involving actress Blake Lively and director Justin Baldoni after the release of the previous film adaptation of a Hoover book, \u201cIt Ends With Us,\u201d Grace and Thames said they weren\u2019t hesitant to take the film.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing into it, I didn\u2019t know it was a book,\u201d Thames said. \u201cI got the script and talked to Josh Boone, our director, and I fell in love with the story. I knew Mckenna was signed on, so it was kind of a no-brainer, and after that I read the book, and I thought it was fantastic and made me fall in love with these characters and the story even more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grace similarly said she hadn\u2019t read the book prior to signing on but was enticed by the dynamics the script provided.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was really excited at the aspect of getting to portray Morgan and Clara\u2019s dynamic, but also I was really excited about getting to do our stuff,\u201d Grace said, pointing to Thames. \u201cI was really stoked to do Miller and Clara because I\u2019ve never done a romance, and neither had Mase. It was such an exciting opportunity and then to get to do it together was just really special.\u201d<\/p>\n

The genre is vastly different from what they typically star in, Thames having worked on horror films like \u201cBlack Phone\u201d and Grace on action dramas like \u201cGhostbusters: Afterlife\u201d and the upcoming \u201cThe Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both stars said they learned how to navigate this new on-screen intimacy by watching rom-coms together for inspiration.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe watched \u2018The Notebook,\u2019 we watched \u201810 Things I Hate About You,\u2019 \u2018The Fault in Our Stars,\u2019\u201d Grace and Thames said in unison.<\/p>\n

Grace reflected on the intricacies of portraying characters in love and in intimate moments.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith anyone else, it would\u2019ve been a lot scarier,\u201d Grace said.<\/p>\n

\u201cRegretting You,\u201d rated PG-13, is in theaters Oct. 24.\u00a0<\/p>\n