Are Mckenna Grace and Mason Thames Dating?

Mckenna Grace and Mason Thames‘ on-screen chemistry may be transferring off-screen!

The former child actors play love interests in the movie Regretting Youand shortly after they began working together, they started attending events and interviews together.

During the early days of filming, they sparked romance rumors when Grace posted a TikTok video of them doing a trend during which Thames grabbed her and kissed her. Over the next few months, they fueled the fire by uploading more TikTok and Instagram posts together, gushing over each other in interviews and even holding hands in public.

Thames later revealed to PEOPLE that he and Grace improvised “a lot of kisses” in Regretting You scenes where they felt their passionate characters, Clara and Miller, would stop to share a kiss.

“She’s so funny and such a nice person, so she gels with everybody,” Thames said of Grace.

From their first meeting to their hand-holding outing in New York City, here’s everything to know about Regretting You costars Mckenna Grace and Mason Thames’ rumored relationship.

Grace and Thames “clicked immediately” while playing love interests in Regretting You

In September 2024, it was announced that Grace and Thames would be playing love interests Clara and Miller in the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover‘s book Regretting You. The two starred in the film alongside Dave Franco and Allison Williams.

Before they started filming the movie in March 2025, Grace and Thames ran into each other in an Uber and met for the first time.

“From the moment I met her, we were in this Uber going to see, I think, Deadpool & Wolverine,” he recalled to PEOPLE in October. “And instead of it just being super, super-duper awkward for a first meeting, it was so funny and so awesome.”

He added, “We just clicked immediately. And ever since then, we just hung out all the time.”

After they hit it off at their first meeting, Thames said they were able to transfer their connection on-camera, because his “chemistry with Mckenna was so easy.”

They improvised “a lot of kisses” while acting in the film

Thames and Grace play lovestruck high schoolers in Regretting Youand they occasionally took creative liberty to convey their characters’ chemistry.

While promoting the film, the costars told PEOPLE that they improvised “a lot of kisses” that “didn’t always make it” into the scenes. Thames specifically described one moment where his character was asking Grace’s character to the prom in an elaborate way, so they thought their characters should seal the deal with a kiss.

“And so we did — like, every take,” Thames said, while noting that there was “maybe one take where we didn’t do it.”

Grace laughed while adding, “That’s the best part. We’re watching the movie. And we did that and it didn’t make it!”

They sparked romance rumors in a viral kissing TikTok in April 2025

While filming the romantic drama in the spring of 2025, Grace and Thames posted a TikTok that left fans wondering if they had a real-life romance.

In the viral TikTok, Grace and Thames — who were both in costume — stood next to each other while recreating a famous elevator scene from 500 Days of Summer. After Grace quotes Zooey Deschanel‘s character, Thames grabs her face and kisses her out of the frame.

Grace teased that the two were only playing characters by captioning the video, “Miller & Clara 🔓.”

When asked about the viral video during a Today with Jenna and Friends appearance in October, Grace laughed while reiterating that they “were in costume and in character there.”

Thames also addressed the TikTok and said that it was Grace’s idea and that the whole thing was “really funny.”

“I didn’t really know what to expect, but it was really funny. I had a lot of friends text me. It was hilarious,” he told Seventeen in June. “She was like, ‘This is a TikTok — do you wanna do it?’ And I was like ‘Yeah, let’s!’ And we posted it, and then… Jesus.”

Prior to the Regretting You release on Oct. 24, Grace continued fueling romance rumors by posting TikToks of Thames carrying her at an event, the two holding hands at a red carpet premiere and him lifting her up on his shoulders.

They were seen holding hands in New York City in June

After Regretting You filming wrapped, Thames and Grace continued spending time together. In June 2025, the costars were photographed holding hands while walking around the SoHo neighborhood of N.Y.C.

The two looked content and smiled at each other while going on the stroll. Grace wore a little black dress, while Thames matched in an all-black outfit with a green and black striped jacket.

Later that month, Thames told Seventeen that he and Grace “hang out, like, all the time.”

“Not too long ago, we went to the aquarium and just walked around,” he said. “She has an aquarium playlist in her AirPods. So she had one in her ear, and I had one in mine while we looked at sharks.”

Grace and Thames continued attending events together — including his birthday

When Thames turned 18 in July 2025, he celebrated with Grace by his side. He told PEOPLE that the two spent time together at his home in Texas, where she was also raised.

“I’m 18! I was home back in Texas and I got like a little birthday week and Mckenna was also thereand that was really nice,” he told PEOPLE in August 2025. “We spent that together and I spent some time with my family and some of my best friends, and it was nice. It was chill.”

When asked how Grace got along with all his family and friends, he gushed, “She’s so funny and such a nice person, so she gels with everybody.”

Thames called Grace “one of the most driven people” he’s met, while she said he was her “favorite person”

Regardless of Grace and Thames’ potential off-screen romance, they have both praised the other for their work ethic and solid friendship.

“I mean, she is such a star and she’s such a warrior. I’ve never met somebody with a work ethic like hers,” Thames told PEOPLE in August 2025. “She pushes herself every day harder and harder and she’s so incredibly talented. So just watching that, it really motivates me. So it’s been great.”

He added to Seventeen that Grace is “such an incredible actress” who is “insane to watch.”

“She is one of the most driven people I’ve ever met in my life,” he raved. “Every day I’m on set with her, I just want to be as good as Mckenna. She’s such a sweet person, and getting to do this movie with her is so cool.”

Meanwhile, Grace played coy on their possible romance when asked about all the rumblings. Although she didn’t elaborate on their current status, she still called Thames her “favorite person.”

“I love Mason. He’s my favorite person,” she said on Today with Jenna and Friends in October 2025. “Every city that we go to or visit together, I make him go to an aquarium or a zoo with me.”

They acted in another film together, New Year’s Rev

Around the same they filmed Regretting Youthey worked together again on the film New Year’s Rev. The music comedy, which is about and produced by Green Dayfollows three teenage rockers who go on a road trip believing they’ve scored their dream gig opening for the legendary rock band.

Although Regretting You and New Year’s Rev were filmed back-to-back, both stars found out about the gigs at different times.

“I was working on How To Train Your Dragon and I got Regretting You. Also right before that I signed on to this Green Day movie,” Thames recalled to PEOPLE, adding that he messaged Grace at the time, “Hey, like so excited.”

Thames continued, “I was like, ‘So excited to work with you.’ And she was like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m so excited for Green Day.’ I was like, ‘What? What do you mean Green Day? I’m talking about Regretting You.’ She’s like, ‘What do you mean Regretting You?’ So we found out we were doing two movies back to back, which is so crazy.”

Grace remembered finding out about the roles months in advance, so they had “all of that time to just hang out and mess around and just be stupid.”