'Breaking Bad' star Bryan Cranston donates COVID-19 antibodies

Bryan Cranston says there is a good reason why he only announced his own COVID-19 story four months after his diagnosis, and that is because he did not want to add his name to the list of celebrities publicly confirmed with the disease.

The "Breaking Bad" star revealed that he and his wife got the disease in March. He just did not say anything about it because he "didn't feel the world needed another celebrity saying, 'I had it.'" His doctor eventually encouraged him to share his experience to help with the decreasing number of plasma donations.

"That was a good reason to out myself. That was the whole point," Cranston told Extra TV.

"I started giving plasma to help others who were really suffering, to ease that or to help them overcome it," he revealed.

Talking about his battle with COVID-19, Cranston said he and his wife had "about a week of intense exhaustion and that feeling for three days of achiness," but not the kind that keeps you in bed. He had a mild fever of 99.8°F and then it was gone. He also lost his sense of taste and smell and only has about 75 percent of it back.

The 64-year-old "The One and Only Ivan" star likewise stressed the importance of wearing a mask. He encouraged everyone to wear one and advised on social distancing.

"It's not a terrible sacrifice to wear a mask, be socially distant, wash your hands, and be respectful of others and yourself. You can do this," he added.

Cranston shared an Instagram video of the day he donated his plasma in July and told everyone he had COVID-19. He said he plans to donate more of his antibodies after he was able to give 840 ml of his blood. In the clip, the actor shared that he also had a slight headache when he had the disease.

"I count my blessings and urge you to keep wearing the d**n mask, keep washing your hands, and stay socially distant. We can prevail - but ONLY if we follow the rules together. Be well - Stay well," he captioned his post.

Cranston said he contracted COVID-19 even though he strictly followed all safety and health protocols. Thankfully he is "feeling great" now.