A Man Put on a Princess Dress and the Internet Went Wild

Jesse Nagy and his 4-year-old niece, Izzy, made a big impression at an Alabama movie theater. (Photo via Twitter)

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Well played, Jesse Nagy. Well played.

Nagy, a professional actor from metro Detroit, wanted his niece Izzy to feel comfortable wearing a princess dress when they went to to see the “Cinderella” movie, so he did what he says any doting uncle would do.

“She’s like my mini-me,” Nagy, 25, told ABC News. “I really wanted to spend time with her, so I said ‘let’s go have a princess day.’ ”

The problem was, Izzy, 4, was a bit shy about going in public in all those flounces and frills.

The tattooed, bearded actor didn’t skip a beat. He initially wanted to be his niece’s handsome prince, but finding a costume on short notice was a feat even Britain’s Prince William may not have been able to pull off.

So little Izzy, who clearly has a lock on her uncle’s heart, brokered a deal.

“She said ‘you could be a princess too,’ “ Nagy said. “We made the trade-off and I said, ‘OK, we can both be princesses,’ but she had to have the crown. I thought ‘fair enough!’ ”

The princess dress Nagy pulled over his muscular frame was actually a prom dress belonging to a family friend.

Shortly after the two arrived at the movie theater Sunday, an employee snapped and shared a photo of Nagy and Izzy on Reddit, where it has been viewed millions of times.

Nagy said he had no idea of his Internet fame, but as he and Izzy sat in the movie, his cell phone was blowing up with texts and calls from people who had recognized him on the Reddit site and wondered if he was at a theater in Alabama.

“I’m not even subscribed to these sites so I said ‘what the heck is going on?’ “ he said.

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Nagy said on his Facebook page that the past few days have been dizzying.

“Some have said they hope my new found popularity doesn’t change me,” he posted. “My response is sincere: Thank you for valuing my character enough to not want to lose it. It has happened to some, but I am just me; and i’m pretty happy with myself as I am.”

He said he’s grateful for attention that may boost his acting career, including an invitation to appear on the Steve Harvey Show.

And he’s even the subject of a meme (below) that he says is crying out for a caption.