Twitter works in mysterious ways. But every once in a while, it gives people precisely what they need. And this weekend, it turned out to be a few cute photos of Sean Astin cuddling with an otter. Everything began when Sam (@samxgrace) from New Zealand tweeted them to her followers, and things quickly went crazy, resulting in people appreciating Sean’s acting career and amazing movie characters.

“I found the photo on Facebook!” Sam told Bored Panda. “It was posted by the organization Nurtured by Nature which does ‘swim with otters’ experiences. I reposted the photos [on Twitter], honestly because I love otters! I thought the photos were so sweet especially the kissing one and I just wanted to share them with my followers. I never imagined that it would be Twitter trending this hard. I woke up to about 8,000 likes on Friday morning and by the end of the day, it had about 60,000 and Sean Astin himself had tweeted me that I rock!”

It all started when Sam from New Zealand tweeted adorable shots of Sean Astin cuddling with an otter

Image credits: samxgrace

Sam adored both Stranger Things and the popular actor’s involvement in the series. “I’ve always loved horror-based programs and movies that have kids as the main characters. It’s almost twisted but in a great way,” she said. However, like most, Sam likes Astin’s other characters as well. “[He’s] an incredible actor, I first saw him in Lord of the Rings. As a Kiwi, it’s basically a right of passage to watch that series growing up. But I also adored him in Stranger Things and of course, as Ed in his new series on Netflix, No Good Nick. He always makes his characters the most lovable on every show he’s on!”

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After noticing that he was trending, Astin immediately tried to find out why

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So people reassured the actor that it wasn’t just because he appeared on Stranger Things

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As with many similar pop culture moments, fans have used the opportunity to praise the famous actor for his iconic roles in 90s movies like The Goonies, Toy Soldiers, Rudy, Encino Man and 50 First Dates. The prolific actor was propelled back into people’s radars when he played the beloved Bob Newby in Stranger Things season two.

One of the latest gigs for this 90s icon, No Good Nick is an original Netflix sitcom starring Siena Agudong as Nicole, a teenage con artist who goes by the name “Nick,” pretending to be a distant cousin of the Thompson family to rob them. Astin and Melissa Joan Hart play Ed and Liz Thompson, who take in Nick and — to her surprise — treat her like a member of the family, making it harder for her to rob them.

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Even one of his daughters joined the fun

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Sean was incredibly delighted to see everyone’s reaction

Image credits: SeanAstin

Image credits: SeanAstin

However, there are many more animals that got to experience Sean’s gentle side

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Image credits: seanastin

Image credits: seanastin

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