James Van Der Beek Has Thoughts About His Ugly Cry Face Becoming an Iconic Internet Meme

Dawson’s Creek was the teen drama to watch in the ’90s and early aughts. But even younger audiences who grew up on its successors like The O.C., Gossip Girl or The Vampire Diaries probably recognize star James Van Der Beek from Tumblr.

A shot of his character tearfully letting childhood love Joey (Katie Holmes) move on with his best friend Pacey (Joshua Jackson) in season 3 is now a viral meme — and he’s all for the Internet’s obsession.

“I love it,” Van Der Beek admits in this week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly, which reunited the cast for the first time since the teen drama’s 2003 finale.“It’s hilarious to me that you can work for six years on a show, 120-something hours, and it gets boiled down to three seconds.”

This article originally appeared on People.com