Tom Hanks is known as an incredibly talented actor, and he’s currently showcasing his skills by performing in a production of William Shakespeare’s Henry IV. During a recent performance of the Shakespearean play, however, Hanks was forced to show off a different set of acting skills when his improvisational abilities were put to the test by a surprising situation in which he had to calm his audience down in the face of a medical emergency.

In the legendary play, Hanks plays the difficult role of Sir John Falstaff. During the June 13th performance of the play at the Veterans Affairs’ West Los Angeles campus, the show came to a sudden halt 15 minutes in when an audience member passed out.

This would have thrown many actors off, but not Hanks! After the show was stopped, Hanks walked back onstage fully in costume and in character to calm the audience down in a hilarious way. He knew he had to keep the audience focused on the stage so that the crew, which is made up of military veterans, could help the audience member as paramedics rushed to the scene.

“God has decided this play needed a 2nd intermission!” Hanks told the audience, continuing to stay in character. The two-time Academy Award winner went on to call the audience members who had left their seats “scurvy rogues.”

“No intermission brew for you!” he told them.

He then jokingly said that anyone who lost their focus was “an insult to all actors and to Shakespeare himself,” still in character as the fat knight, Falstaff.

Hanks managed to lighten the mood while the person in need was helped, and also keep the rest of the audience immersed in the play while the situation was figured out. Thankfully, the audience member who passed out regained consciousness and made a full recovery!

It’s so nice to see that a talented star like Hanks has such a great sense of humor in real life! Check out video of what happened below, and SHARE this story so your friends and family can see this as well!