Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston donated his plasma to help fight the pandemic after announcing that he previously contracted COVID-19.
The actor released an Instagram video, revealing that, despite being "pretty strict in adhering to the protocols," he nevertheless caught the coronavirus. Cranston only contracted mild virus symptoms, including headaches, tightness of the chest and a loss of both his taste and smell senses. However, he still views himself as "one of the lucky ones" compared to the 150,000+ U.S. citizens who have since died from the virus over the past five months.
Cranston donated his plasma to the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center, where he engaged in some humorous banter with his doctor. The medical professional explained that Cranston’s blood would be separated via centrifuge into red blood cells, platelets and plasma, keeping the last component and returning the other two back inside his body. The procedure yielded 840 milliliters of plasma that, according to the video text, will be used to help coronavirus patients recover faster and aid future medical research.
Following in the scientific footsteps of his iconic TV character Walter White, Cranston urged viewers to wear masks, wash their hands and adhere to social distance guidelines to curb the virus' spread. He ended the Instagram post with a poignant message, saying, "We can prevail - but ONLY if we follow the rules together."
Cranston briefly reprised his role as Walter White in the Netflix movie El Camino, which immediately follows the events of Breaking Bad's series finale "Felina." The film recently received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Television Movie. His next film role is in The One and Only Ivan, which will release exclusively on Disney+ on August 21.