Bryan Cranston reveals he had COVID-19 and films himself donating his plasma

Bryan Cranston is asking the public to take the coronavirus pandemic seriously after disclosing that he had COVID-19.

The "Breaking Bad" star revealed Thursday that, even though he abided by all the proper social distancing guidelines, he still caught the novel coronavirus.

"I was pretty strict in adhering to the protocols and still . . . I contracted the virus," Cranston wrote in the lengthy caption of his video PSA. "Yep. It sounds daunting now that over 150,000 Americans are dead because of it."

Thankfully, the 64-year-old actor admitted he was "one of the lucky ones" because he suffered from "mild symptoms." In a banner played beneath his video, he revealed, "My symptoms were a slight headache, tightness of chest and I lost all taste and smell!"

The six-time Emmy winner, who says he caught the virus "early," cautioned, "The symptoms show up differently for everyone, it seems."

"Keep wearing the damn mask, keep washing your hands, and stay socially distant," Cranston said. "We can prevail -- but ONLY if we follow the rules together."

In addition to beating the coronavirus, the "Malcolm in the Middle" alum documented himself donating his plasma, which has COVID-19 antibodies, to the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center in order to help others beat the illness.

Cranston bantered with the doctor drawing his blood before settling down to watch old movies to pass the time because "the whole process takes an hour."

In the end, the actor donated 840 ml. of plasma. He then vowed to donate more as soon as he's able.

Cranston said he hoped his video would inspire those who know they battled COVID-19 to consider donating plasma too. "Be well -- stay well," he concluded.