Bryan Cranston reveals COVID-19 diagnosis and calls himself 'one of the lucky ones' after recovering... as he donates his plasma to help others

Bryan Cranston revealed Thursday that he'd been sickened with COVID-19 and had already recovered.

The 64-year-old Breaking Bad star said he'd had the illness 'a little while ago' in a video shot outside a blood and plasma donation center.

The actor filmed himself donating his antibody-containing plasma while urging his 2.5 million followers to take the coronavirus pandemic seriously and follow precautions to slow the spread.

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Good deed: Bryan Cranston, 64, revealed Thursday in an Instagram video that he'd had COVID-19 and had already recovered as he was about to donate plasma to help others in need

Cranston appeared with frazzled hair and a surgical mask while standing outside of a UCLA donation center, though he jokingly clarified he was there to donate plasma and not to peruse the marijuana dispensary next door. 

'I wanted to announce that I had COVID-19... a little while ago. Very lucky, very mild symptoms. And so I thought maybe there's something I can do,' he began. 

The Malcolm In The Middle star then cut to inside the donation center as he was already in the donation chair.

The phlebotomist with him explained that the blood withdrawn in placed in a centrifuge, which would split the fluid into red blood cells, platelets and plasma.

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Eye on the prize: Cranston had frazzled hair and a mask while standing outside of a UCLA donation center, though he jokingly clarified he wasn't there for the dispensary next door

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Opening up: 'I wanted to announce that I had COVID-19... a little while ago. Very lucky, very mild symptoms. And so I thought maybe there's something I can do,' he began before donating

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Minimally invasive: His blood was centrifuged to only remove the antibody-containing plasma, then the blood and platelets were returned to his body

Cranston's plasma should contain antibodies that the body uses to battle the coronavirus, but the blood and platelets could be returned to his body.

The initial stick was over in second, and he wrote, 'The whole process takes about an hour, thank God for old movies!' as he settled in to watch the 1957 classic A Face In The Crowd.

The phlebotomist returned at the end of the donation to show the two thick bags of cloudy amber liquid housing the actor's plasma.

'Don't forget to wash your hands, social distance and wear a mask!' he warned at the end of his clip.

Although using plasma from recovered patients isn't believed to be a simple fix for other infected with COVID-19, it may provide some relief and speed up their recovery.

His video was released as coronavirus cases in California and in multiple US states are surging, and over 150,000 Americans have died from the virus. 

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'Don't forget to wash your hands, social distance and wear a mask!' he warned at the end of his clip

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New film: Cranston already finished filming the Disney movie The One And Only Ivan before pandemic shutdowns began

Sam Rockwell voices Ivan in The One and Only Ivan trailer

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Also on Thursday, President Donald Trump urged Americans who had recovered from COVID-19 to donate their plasma in hopes of helping others during a visit to the American Red Cross headquarters.

Cranston's last major film project was the Breaking Bad sequel film El Camino, which premiered on Netflix last year.

He's already completed his work on the upcoming Disney film The One And Only Ivan, in which he plays a man who takes in a young gorilla named Ivan (voiced by Sam Rockwell) and makes him part of a show for tourists, before Ivan escapes captivity to search for his younger sister.

Though many theaters are closed throughout the United States, the film will bypass them due to the coronavirus pandemic and premiere on the Disney+ streaming service on August 21. 

Coming soon: He plays a trainer who puts a young gorilla named Ivan on stage for tourists, though Ivan escapes to find his younger sister. The movie hits Disney+ on August 21