Georgie Grier has a lot to smile about.
The actor was saddened Thursday when she performed her one-woman play "Sunsets" at The Gilded Balloon in Edinburgh, Scotland, and noticed that just one audience member sat in attendance.
Grier posted a teary-eyed selfie on X, formerly Twitter, after the show.
Alongside her photo, she wrote: There was one person in my audience today when I performed my one woman play, 'Sunsets' at #edfringe. It’s fine, isn't it? It’s fine…?"
There was one person in my audience today when I performed my one woman play, ‘Sunsets’ at #edfringe. It’s fine, isn’t it? It’s fine…? 🥹 pic.twitter.com/D0lfAsMMz0
— Georgie Grier (@georgie_grier) August 3, 2023
But then something special happened.
Her vulnerable post went viral — and her show sold out. The venue confirmed this to The Guardian.
Comments on her post were flooded with support. It even caught the attention of celebrities, like actor Ben Stiller
"We have all been there. I've done entire movies where nobody came to the theater the opening weekend," Stiller commented on her post. "Keeping going in the face of that can be really really hard. But please do. It has nothing to do with where you are headed. The fact you are doing it is what it's all about."
We have all been there. I’ve done entire movies where nobody came to the theater the opening weekend. Keeping going in the face of that can be really really hard. But please do. It has nothing to do with where you are headed. The fact you are doing it is what it’s all about.
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) August 5, 2023
Comedian Jason Manford even posted a video for Grier, expressing words of encouragement and sharing his own experiences.
"You're on the path and it's just the start, that's all," Manford said in his video comment on X. "Tomorrow will be better and next week will be better, and next year will be even better than that."
As of Tuesday morning, the post has 14.5 million views.