Mason Thames’ ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Role Is a Childhood Dream Come True: ‘My Hero Growing Up’ (Exclusive)

Mason Thames has always had a special connection to How to Train Your Dragon.

“That was my childhood, growing up with those movies,” the actor, now 17, tells PEOPLE.

Being cast in the new live-action remake of the film as Hiccup — a young Viking who defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon — was a childhood dream come true for Thames.

“The fact that I get to be a part of this world and do this is insanity to me,” Thames says.

Thames says he was drawn to the franchise, which centers on the Isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations. “I remember when I watched the first movie as a kid, there was so much wonder and magic to it. I love everything about it, especially Toothless, because he’s so cute,” Thames says. (The original films debuted in 2010, 2014 and 2019, and each scored Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature.)

While Toothless is both a powerful and cute dragon, it’s the protagonist of the How to Train Your Dragon series that Thames was most drawn to: “Hiccup as a character, he was my hero growing up. There’s so much about him that I could relate to.”

“Especially my journey becoming an actor reminded me a lot of Hiccup,” Thames says. “All he wanted was to be a Viking, and in his village they looked down on him and kind of cast him out. Once [Hiccup] accepted he was different and realized he was different, that’s where he truly became Hiccup. I related to him a lot.”

The Dallas, Texas, native’s movie debut was in the horror film The Black Phone, in which Thames plays Finney, a teen abducted by a serial killer known colloquially as The Grabber, played by Ethan Hawke. He’s also had roles in Apple TV+’s For All Mankind as well as films Monster Summer and Incoming.

Thames admits acting at a young age was challenging for both himself and his parents, but he’s thankful they’ve been “so supportive” of his journey thus far and “were really proud” when he landed the role of Hiccup.

“That was one of the best moments of my life,” Thames says of being cast, adding that he started “freaking out” and “jumped out of my chair” when he was given the news by director Dean DeBlois, who also directed the animated films.

“I remember I went to London and I did the chemistry read and it was about two weeks or so after. I was already home and didn’t hear anything. And, you know, it is what it is. I didn’t think I was going to get it. I didn’t think I was going to get it in the first place, and I just kind of accepted it,” Thames recalls.

What came next was an email asking Thames to hop on a call with DeBlois regarding notes for his audition. Thames initially thought he was getting rejected on the call, but instead, DeBlois said, “Actually, we only have one question: Would you like to play Hiccup in our movie?”

“I stood up. I jumped out of my chair and broke my light,” Thames says with a laugh. “That was a very special moment. My family, they were really proud of it.”

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Thames admits he was nervous to tackle a character both he and countless others loved — especially because of how Jay Baruchel’s voice added an extra memorable quirkiness to Hiccup’s personality.

“They’re very big shoes to fill,” Thames says. “Hiccup — that character is my childhood. I really wanted to do the fans right. Also for myself, because I’m a fan. I really wanted to figure out how do I bring this character to life without changing anything everybody loves about him.”

“When you care about movies so much and you hear that they’re going to be making it in a live-action format, you get kind of nervous that it’s not going to be the same, that it’s going to be soulless,” he says. “That’s something I was worried about until I met with Dean when I was in the audition process. You should see the love he has for these characters and this world and this movie. I think it really shows in the final product.”

Thames feels this latest iteration of How to Train Your Dragon will please old and new fans alike.

“The original movie is, in my opinion, a masterpiece. It’s such a fantastic film,” he says. “[The remake] wasn’t a thing of what can we change or make better than the originals. It was how can we expand upon this world and expand these characters. Bringing it to a new generation in a live-action format was a lot of fun.”

As someone who has cherished Hiccup, Toothless, and all their high-flying adventures, Thames adds, “This film, to me, feels like a love letter to the original.”

How to Train Your Dragon is in theaters now.