John Krasinski Thanks Fans After Emotional Theater Run

Instagram/@johnkrasinski

John Krasinski had just finished the off-Broadway run of Angry Alan when the bittersweet farewell went viral on Instagram. Famous for The Office and A Quiet Place, Krasinski broke into a lengthy thank-you tirade to pretty much everyone: from the cast and crew to the audience, coming night after night.

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The accompanying black-and-white picture captures a haunting moment: Krasinski, little lit by stage light, standing and clapping back to the thunderous standing ovation of the audience in the theater. The light washed over the audience, imbuing the moment with a sense of intimacy and electricity. The pose in the picture prompts some envy, to say the least.

He expressed special heartfelt gratitude to Penelope Skinner for the “brilliant” work and to Sam Gold for the “singular vision,” stating that the off-Broadway community was the “final collaborators” that led to this living reality. Put very simply, he took to the stage with impassioned heartfelt words about his love of theater.

The comments? Utterly heartwarming. Fellow actors Michael Kelly of House of Cards fame and Kate Flannery of The Office endorsed his performance as “phenomenal” and “award-worthy.” But all credits belong to the audience: someone said they cried, one described it as “unsettling in the best way,” and a few were lucky to meet Krasinski afterward to gush about how, obviously exhausted after performing, he took the time to sign autographs and take pictures.

Angry Alan is clearly not, or was not for Krasinski, just another role. The play seems to have scratched a serious itch-the deeply uncomfortable most urgently being brought to the forefront (probably masculinity and rage, given the title). One said it was thought-provoking, yet the other claimed that Krasinski’s performance would go live rent-free in their thoughts for a very long time.

Theater has always been an entirely different beast in comparison to film or television-theater is live, immediate, and demands everything-physically, metaphorically, morally-from its performers. What is evident from Krasinski’s post is that he gave it exactly that. And from the feedback, it has gained well! When or if this means he will hit the stage again one more time, nobody can say for sure-but one thing we know for sure now is that he walked away with visual-identifiable black ink.

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So what next for Krasinski? Probably more directing and acting and hopefully more theater semifinals where he can immerse himself in such intensive roles. This post and the huge responses arising from its release hold one clear point: he can.