“Regretting You” is a romantic drama directed by Josh Boone, director of another book adaptation, “A Fault in Our Stars.” Adapted from Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name, it follows the strained relationship between Morgan Grant (Allison Williams) and her daughter, Clara Grant (Mckenna Grace). After Morgan tragically loses her husband, the duo has to undergo life’s challenges together.

Thames first responded to a question about whether the two actors faced any challenging scenes while shooting.

“Nothing was really too challenging,” Thames said. “I’ve always wanted to do a movie like this, so the fact that I got to do something like this and do it with Mckenna, it was a lot of fun. And I was just kinda living like a little dream of mine.”

Answering another question, both talents highlighted traits within both of their characters and how they collaborate.

“I think what's beautiful about them coming together is it's not like they're really taking or adding parts to each other,” Grace said. “It's just like they're kind of there for each other.”

“They are both kind of broken people,” Thames added. “No matter what one person has going on, they're there for each other, and they understand, and they listen. And everybody feels … they kind of make each other better in a way, and I think that's a really important thing in their relationship.”

ASU student Angel Garcia asked why it is important to tell the story when tackling themes of love and loss.

“I think it’s always important to tell a story about family and love and loss,” Grace said. “I hope to make people who can relate to Morgan or Clara in this film feel less alone, and I think that’s always my end goal when creating a film that deals with especially heavier topics, [such] as grief and mourning of lost ones.”

ASU student Spencer West asked if the movie, being an adaptation of a Colleen Hoover book, had any influence on signing up for the movie. 

“Going into it, I didn't know it was a book,” Thames said. “Luckily, Mckenna was on set and she had this ‘Regretting You’ book with all of her notes and stuff down. So we'd be going through scenes and she'd be like, ‘We should add this from the book, and do these little things.’ And I think that's really important 'cause the little things are what make these characters who they are.”

Grace was also unaware that it was an adaptation, stating, “No, neither of us knew that it was a novel before signing on. I feel like I was really excited at the aspect of getting to portray Morgan and Clara's dynamic. But also, I was really excited about getting to do our stuff.”

When asked if there were any takeaways from filming that they would use in the future, Thames replied: 

“Just the past, like, two years have been really, really crazy in my life. And I think a lot has changed. Like, two years ago, I would've been like, ‘Oh, I know who I am. I know who this person is.’ And now I can't even recognize that person. I feel like this time in my life and us, 'cause I feel like we're all kind of around the same age, that a lot happens. And you kinda find yourself. Or you're trying to figure out who you are.”

Being the first real romance movie either actor had done, a reporter asked them what it was like to navigate the intimacy. 

“With anyone else, it would've been a lot scarier,” Grace said.

“That's exactly what I was about to say,” Thames said. “But like when you go into a job, normally, like if you have a love interest or something, it's somebody you've probably never met before, and it's a weird learning thing where it's like, ‘Is this okay?’ Like, I don't know what to do. It's like an awkward thing. And of course, you have an intimacy coordinator there, and you're talking everything through. And at the end of the day, you know, it's just the job.”

“Such a weird part of the job,” Grace replied.

Finally, Thames responded to how they transition from character to character in each movie.

“I mean, it's not hard for me to snap out of a character, especially if you're going from one character to a vastly different character,” Thames said. “I did ‘How to Train Your Dragon.’ Then I filmed ‘Black Phone 2.’ And I still had some cadence, 'cause I filmed that job for seven months, and the way Hiccup talks and the way he walks. It kind of bled into Finny.”

Colleen Hoover’s “Regretting You,” starring Allison Williams, Mckenna Grace, Dave Franco, and Mason Thames, releases in theaters on Oct. 24. Big thanks to Allied Global Marketing for helping Blaze get into the roundtable interview.