A dragon ride stunt gone wrong left new Hiccup actor Mason Thames with a bloody chin during the filming of the How to Train Your Dragon remake. The 2025 live-action film, directed by original trilogy writer and director Dean DeBlois, brings the beloved animated story into live-action with a fresh cast tasked with grounding the fantasy of Berk in emotion and realism. With practical effects and detailed sets, the How to Train Your Dragon remake offers a tactile approach to Hiccup and Toothless’ story.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Thames, who stars opposite Nico Parker as Astrid, revealed that what was supposed to be a fun action sequence between Hiccup, Astrid, and Toothless quickly turned into one of the shoot’s bloodiest behind-the-scenes moments. Thames explained that he and Parker were shooting a dragon flight sequence using a mᴀssive gimbal rig designed to mimic Toothless’ movements, and when the dragon was supposed to dive, the gimbal moved erratically, and his chin slammed into its mechanical head. The accident left Thames needing five sтιтches. Check out his comments below:

Every time I had to fly the dragon in the movie, I was on this gimbal thing, and it was like a giant mechanical bull. And we were doing a scene where it’s me and Nico on the dragon, and Toothless is kind of going crazy and wild, and she’s trying to hold on. So we start the scene and [the gimbal] starts going, and it’s going, and it’s really crazy.

And then the dragon goes down. Normally, when the dragon goes down, [the gimbal] goes up. So I get down, I’m ready, and then the dragon goes up and the head smacks me in the chin, and three rod iron bolts smacked me.

They call cut, and I just hear Nico go, “Oh my God.” She looks at her hands, and they’re covered in blood. Oh, no. I looked down and there’s a pool of blood on the dragon. And I go down and I look in a little mirror we had, and there’s a little chunk of my chin gone — and it sucked. The doctor put the sтιтches in and then was like, “Eh, I can do better,” and cut ’em out and put ’em back.

Thames’ co-star recalled being horrified when she saw her hands covered in blood. Parker was sitting behind Thames when the accident happened and couldn’t see exactly what had occurred. Parker initially thought she had accidentally injured Thames because of a joke about her long nails he had made moments earlier. “I remember my nails had gotten quite long,” she said. “And he was like, ‘You’re going to cut me with those.‘” Read her full comments below:

It wasn’t my fault, really wasn’t my fault. But, from my perspective, what had happened right before he hit his chin is we were looking at my hands, because me and Mason would be up on that dragon for really quite long stretches at a time. And I remember my nails had gotten quite long and we’d forgotten to trim them or file ’em or anything. So they were quite long.

Then I’m looking at my nails and I’m like, oh my God, these actually, they wouldn’t cut him, but what if I accidentally dig or scratch him — and this is the golden child here. I can’t hurt him.

I remember afterwards, initially, everyone was like, “Nico’s nails have just hurt our boy. Nico’s just cut our favorite cast member.” And I remember being like, oh my God, this is awful. And then we watched it back, and you could see him bash his chin. Thank God. I would’ve felt really… I felt so bad when we thought it was me. And he was not letting it up. He thought it was so funny.

What This BTS Story Means For How To Train Your Dragon

The HTTYD Remake Embraces Practicality Even When It Hurts

The story behind Thames’ chin injury shows just how far How to Train Your Dragon’s live-action remake went to bring physical realism to its fantasy world, relying on practical rigs to simulate flight scenes and more. This approach doesn’t just look better, it helps the actors react more naturally to their environment, allowing them to give performances that feel more grounded and alive. But realism comes with challenges, and Thames’ unfortunate injury proves that bringing dragons to life isn’t always smooth sailing.

This also reflects a larger trend in fantasy filmmaking; live-action adaptations are using more real sets, creature animatronics, and in-camera effects to make the impossible feel tangible. This results in a sort of authenticity that CGI cannot always replicate. Using real movement, physical props, and mechanical creatures gives films a sense of place that fully green-screen sets often lack. The bond between characters and dragons in How to Train Your Dragon is central to the film, which means this added realism is key in order to draw better performances from the actors.

Our Take On Mason Thames How To Train Your Dragon Injury

The Chemistry Between The HTTYD Leads Is Already Shining

Accidents on set are never ideal, but they can result in unexpected chemistry, and this is an excellent example. Thames and Parker’s chaotic, funny, and endearing retelling of the accident already mirrors the playful yet loving relationship between Hiccup and Astrid. The way they turn a painful mishap into a running joke speaks volumes about their natural camaraderie, which translates perfectly on screen. Stories like this offer a glimpse into the high-energy environment behind the How to Train Your Dragon remake, and enthrall audiences while they wait for the upcoming 2027 sequel.

Source: Entertainment Weekly