Dear Dylan O'Brien: I'd Like To Thank You From The Bottom Of My Heart For Keeping Your YouTube Channel From When You Were 16 Up For Us All To See

I'm just going to assume we all know who Dylan O'Brien is.

Dylan on a red carpet

That's the world I'd like to live in, anyway.

Michael Tran / FilmMagic via Getty Images

Star of Teen Wolf, The Maze Runner series, and Love and Monsters, O'Brien is a bona fide leading man...

Dylan in The Maze Runner

If you're in need of a leading lady, Dylan...lmk.

Ben Rothstein/ 20th Century Fox Netherlands/Courtesy Everett Collection

...but let's not forget where he came from. That's right, folks — like many of us, O'Brien spent his teen years making silly videos on the internet.

MTV

In fact, according to Teen Wolf creator Jeff Davis, when Dylan came in to audition for Teen Wolf, his resume was literally just two YouTube links.

  MTV/Courtesy Everett Collection
MTV/Courtesy Everett Collection

And I'm not talking about, like, the song covers or vlogs that made a bunch of YouTubers famous. I'm talking literally just run-of-the-mill, 16-year-old boy stuff. Under the username moviekidd826, Dylan posted 14 YouTube videos over a two-year period from 2007 to 2009. AND THEY ARE ALL STILL ONLINE.

moviekidd826 / YouTube

Like, here's Dylan dancing to "Sexy Boy" by Shawn Michaels.

Let me just introduce you to some of the gems you can see, like baby Dylan O'Brien proving he needs to be on Lip Sync Battle when he sang along and danced to "Wannabe."

moviekidd826 / YouTube

His videos offer a poignant look into the early life of a true superstar in the making. Dylan was clearly a king of comedy from the beginning...

Dylan saying "you got me again, you sly dog, you" while playing chess with a Scooby Doo stuffed animal
moviekidd826 / YouTube

...as well as relatability...

Dylan screaming "NOOO!" and hanging onto a Christmas tree that's being thrown out
moviekidd826 / YouTube

...confidence...

Dylan says he's good at skateboarding, then wipes out
moviekidd826 / YouTube

...and romance! I mean, if my middle school crush had said this to me...*swoons*

Dylan saying "Katie, I promise you a date, and I promise you...no penis"

It's wonderful to look back and see how many fans he had right from the start.

Dylan reading "your videos are the crappiest I've seen in a long time" then laughing awkwardly and saying "so many jokesters on the internet!"
moviekidd826 / YouTube

As well as his popularity, both with his friends...

Dylan's friend asks if Dylan has cats then screams when he says yes, gagging, saying he's allergic, and Dylan says he's fine
moviekidd826 / YouTube

...and his family.

Dylan says he's close with his parents then tries to high-five his passing dad, who ignores his hand and says "read a book"
moviekidd826 / YouTube

I mean, look at this. How could you look at this kid and NOT think, "OMG, this kid is going to be a star?"

moviekidd826 / YouTube

Now, Dylan definitely knows these videos are still up, because in 2018 he updated his channel with a new video called "Life of a Hollywood Actor." And I am begging you, Dylan...please update us again.

Dylan saying people keep asking when he's going back to work but he's super productive right now, then it flashes to him singing "let it go"

Give the people what they want. I'm not even being sarcastic. Your humor is needed.

moviekidd826 / YouTube / Via youtube.com

In the meantime...thank you, Dylan, for leaving these videos up so we may preserve your legacy and understand your roots. They don't make art like this anymore.

moviekidd826 / YouTube

Also, casting directors, put this man in everything. Please and thank you.