While some celebrities are using their massive social media platforms to spread conspiracies about coronavirus, others, like Bryan Cranston, are using their platforms for good. On Thursday, July 30, Cranston took to Instagram to share with the world that he had COVID-19 and has since recovered. Donning a face mask, the former Breaking Bad star said that he had COVID-19 “a little while ago†and that he’s “very lucky†because he only had “mild symptoms.†At the bottom of his video, Cranston has a ticker tape of text that describes his symptoms as a slight headache, tightness of chest, and a loss of taste and smell.
In the caption of his Instagram post, Cranston says that he contracted coronavirus even though he was “pretty strict†about quarantine. “About now you’re probably feeling a little tied down, restricting your mobility and like me, you’re tired of this,†Cranston wrote. “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 virus.†A salient reminder that if someone as badass as Walter White can get the virus, you can too.
Cranston continued his pivot from drug dealing anti-hero to public health hero by donating his plasma to coronavirus research at the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center. Those who are a bit squeamish may want to skip the latter half of the video, in which Cranston films himself donating blood while asking his doctor explains the process of donating plasma. For the record, Cranston doesn’t so much as flinch when the doctor inserts the needle, which also feels very Walter White of him.