Bryan Cranston reveals he had coronavirus, donates plasma for scientific research
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Like Walter White, the man he’s most famous for playing, Bryan Cranston is a man of science.
In an Instagram post Thursday, the 64-year-old Breaking Bad star revealed he’s recovering from a mild bout of COVID-19, and showed videos of himself preparing to donate plasma for research at UCLA’s Blood and Platelets Center.
“About now you’re probably feeling a little tied down, restricting your mobility and like me, you’re tired of this!! Well, I just want to encourage you to have a little more patience. I was pretty strict in adhering to the protocols and still... I contracted the [coronavirus],” wrote Cranston, who played chronically ill chemistry teacher-turned-meth dealer Walter White from AMC’s deeply adored drama from 2008-2013.
“Yep. it sounds daunting now that over 150,000 Americans are dead because of it. I was one of the lucky ones. Mild symptoms. I count my blessings and urge you to keep wearing the damn mask, keep washing your hands, and stay socially distant. We can prevail - but ONLY if we follow the rules together.”
In the accompanying cell phone footage, Cranston shows himself outside and then inside a UCLA donation center where he interacts with a medical professional named Ron, who describes the roughly hour-long procedure.
“We’re gonna see what it contributes to,” the actor says of his plasma donation, which contains COVID-19 antibodies. “Hopefully some good.”
Cranston then cuts to a credits sequence from the movie he watched during the process, the 1957 Andy Griffith drama A Face in the Crowd, before concluding with a look at the pouches of plasma, or “liquid gold” — about 840 milliliters in all, according to Ron — that he had drawn.
The actor, who has also appeared in TV’s Malcom in the Middle and films like Contagion, Argo, Godzilla and Trumbo, received hundreds of comments with followers voicing words of appreciation and encouragement.
And of course countless references to Walter White.
For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC’s and WHO’s resource guides.
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