Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert
Episode: Mason Thames | 'Black Phone 2'
Date: October 18, 2025

Overview:

Stephen Colbert sits down with up-and-coming actor Mason Thames to talk about his whirlwind year, including starring roles in How to Train Your Dragon, the Colleen Hoover adaptation Regretting You, and the highly anticipated horror sequel Black Phone 2. The conversation explores Mason's career trajectory, his first experiences on late night, driving mishaps, working with Ethan Hawke, and a shared love for classic horror films.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Mason’s First Late Night Experience

• Colbert welcomes Mason to the show, noting this is Mason’s first ever late night appearance.
  • Stephen: “You were telling me this is the first late night show you’ve ever been on.” 01:31
  • Mason: “This is. Yeah, yeah, yeah… You are.” 01:43
  • Mason expresses excitement and gratitude to be on the show, calling Colbert a childhood favorite:

    “I've always wanted to be on a late night show and I'm such a big fan of yours. I've been watching you since I was a kid and I… love you.” [01:53]

A Busy and Eventful Year

• Mason is juggling multiple major projects and just turned 18.
  • Stephen lists Mason’s recent projects:
    • How to Train Your Dragon (live-action)
    • Regretting You (Colleen Hoover adaptation)
    • Black Phone 2 (horror sequel)
    • Turning 18 [02:04–02:25]
  • Mason on handling the pressure and excitement:

    “This year has been just insane, period, with just all that's going on, and I'm just genuinely so lucky and just trying to take it all in…” [02:33]

Early Career and Driving Anecdotes

• Mason filmed his first major movie at 13, before getting a driver’s license.
  • Mason explains his “biggest dream” was getting a license, but he’s been driving on movie sets with police escorts:

    “I've driven an ice cream truck, a taxi, a Honda Civic, a lot… and it's so funny. I'm driving illegally with police escorts.” [03:28]

  • Fun moment when Mason playfully describes making his co-star nervous:

    “She knew I didn't know how to drive, and she was terrified. So on purpose, I just kind of stepped on the gas a little bit.” [03:47]

Black Phone: From Teen Actor to Franchise Star

• He was too young to legally watch his own first R-rated film.
  • Stephen: “So your first movie… Black Phone. How old were you?”

    Mason: “I was 12 when I got the job. 13 when I filmed it.” [04:22]

  • Mason reflects on sneaking into his own movie:

    “My friends would be like, 'he's in the movie!' and like point at the poster and the guy would just look at me… I don't care.” [04:39]

    • Their workaround: buying tickets to The Super Mario Movie and sneaking into Black Phone [04:45]

Working with Ethan Hawke

• On not knowing Hawke’s work at 13, and building a unique on-set relationship.
  • Mason admits:

    “I was not [familiar with Ethan Hawke]. I hadn't seen any of his work.” [05:21]

  • Hawke helped young Mason through scary scenes:

    “He just made sure I knew all the time that we were just having fun and we were making a movie.” [05:41]

  • Mason has since "drilled him on questions" after viewing Hawke’s oeuvre.

Black Phone 2 — Story and Exclusive Clip

• The sequel sees Ethan Hawke’s character haunting Mason’s.
  • Mason provides setup:

    “In this movie we’re basically at this winter camp… The grabber… comes back as this ghost figure haunting us. This is kind of my first conversation with him since I killed him.” [06:20]

  • Clip features a chilling ghostly exchange between Finney (Mason) and The Grabber (Ethan Hawke).

Horror Films — Shared Fandom

• Mason and Stephen bond over love of classic horror, especially John Carpenter’s The Thing.
  • Mason’s “new favorite” is The Thing, for which he gets “a lot of crap”:

    “Just like, the practical effects, the acting, just the setting itself is… so fantastic.” [07:57]

  • Colbert calls it his “comfort film”:

    “That’s my favorite. That’s my comfort film.” [07:55]

  • They debate the film’s famous ambiguous ending — is Childs the Thing?
    • Mason: “I'm gonna say he isn't.”
    • Stephen: “We’ll all find out when we die and go to heaven, I guess.” [08:41]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Mason on sneaking into his own film:

  "We would like buy tickets to the Super Mario movie and then just sneak into Black Phone." [04:45]

• On working with Ethan Hawke:

  "...he just made sure I knew all the time that we were just having fun and we were making a movie." [05:41]

• On horror films and The Thing:

  Mason: "The practical effects, the acting, just the setting itself is … so fantastic." [07:57]
  Stephen: "That's my comfort film." [07:55]

• Debate about The Thing's ending:

  Stephen: "Is Childs, the thing?"
  Mason: "I'm gonna say he isn't." [08:21–08:41]

Important Timestamps

• [01:31] Mason’s first late-night TV appearance
• [02:25] Discussion of Mason turning 18 and managing big projects
• [03:28] Driving stories from film sets
• [04:39] Sneaking into his own movie as a teen
• [05:21] Working with Ethan Hawke
• [06:20] Mason introduces exclusive Black Phone 2 clip
• [07:55] Shared love for The Thing and horror debates
• [08:41] Light-hearted debate on The Thing's ambiguous ending

Conclusion

The episode is a lively, revealing look at the rapid rise of Mason Thames, exploring his experiences as a young actor navigating both Hollywood and everyday coming-of-age moments. The chemistry between Colbert and Thames shines, especially in their nerdy horror deep-dive. Black Phone 2 opens Friday, and Mason leaves with infectious enthusiasm and humility.