Bryan Cranston Talks COVID-19 Recovery, Encourages Others To Donate Blood: ‘We Have To Work Together’

Earlier this month, “Breaking Bad” star Bryan Cranston revealed he and his wife both tested positive for COVID-19 in March. Now recovered and in good health, the actor tells ET Canada why he didn’t feel it was necessary to speak up when he was first diagnosed but feels it’s important to make his diagnosis public now.

“I got it back in March with my wife. We share everything,” the actor jokes while promoting his new Disney+ movie “The One And Only Ivan”. Cranston says he came forward after being encouraged to share his story with hopes others would donate blood.

“At the time I didn’t think it was important that another celebrity come out and say, ‘Hey, I got COVID,’ so I just didn’t say anything,” he explains. “It wasn’t until I was giving plasma for others that had got it really bad…the phlebotomist was saying, ‘Can you post a video because maybe others will donate as well because the donor list has dropped off significantly,'” Cranston says. “This is a good reason to out myself and say, ‘Here’s what happened. I was very fortunate. Please be responsible and if you had it and have the antibodies please consider donating.’

“The one positivity that we could get through this but we have to work together. We have to be brothers and sisters in humanity and be mutually respectful and say, ‘I don’t want anyone else to get sick. Please wear a mask and I will too.'”

Cranston is one of the star-studded cast members of “The One And Only Ivan”, which is a hybrid CGI and live-action family film, adapted from Katherine Applegate’s book by Mike White. Angelina Jolie, Sam Rockwell, Danny DeVito, and Helen Mirren are among those who lend their voices to the animals in the movie about a gorilla named Ivan who hatches a plot to escape the circus with a small elephant.

For Cranston, coming face to face with a gorilla helped him get a feel for his role as a circus ringmaster.

“Doing some research, I was down in Disney [Animal] Kingdom in Orlando and I met some of the gorillas there. They are enormous, ferocious, territorial, we had tutorials on how to deal: don’t make eye contact, just keep down,” he says. “But they’re fascinating animals. This is an incredible true story that we’re very proud of. It’s fun, it’s heartfelt, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry. It’s great for kids from 6 to 96.”