WATCH: Brian Cranston Announces He Had COVID-19, Now Donating Plasma To Research

In an Instagram video posted Thursday, Bryan Cranston announced that he donated his plasma to COVID-19 research after having beat the virus earlier this year.

“I wanted to announce that I had COVID-19 a little while ago, very lucky, very mild symptoms, and so I thought maybe there was something I could do so I started a program there,” the actor said in the video, pointing the camera to the University of California Los Angeles Blood and Plasma center.

In the caption, Cranston wrote that he “was pretty strict in adhering to the protocols,” but still contracted the virus.

“I count my blessings and urge you to keep wearing the damn mask, keep washing your hands, and stay socially distant,” he said. “We can prevail – but ONLY if we follow the rules together.”

In the video, Cranston, 64, cracked jokes with the center’s staff, while showing what the plasma donation experience was like. The medic in the video explained that the blood is taken, split into three separate parts (platelets, red blood cells, and plasma) with a centrifuge, plasma is harvested, and then the other parts of the blood are returned to Cranston’s body.

“The whole process takes about an hour,” the Breaking Bad actor wrote, before showing himself watching the 1957 drama A Face In The Crowd. “Thank God for old movies!”

In the end, Cranston had donated almost a whole liter of plasma, which looks like a yellow liquid when it’s separated from the rest of your blood.

Plasma makes up more than half of your blood, and helps carry red blood cells, platelets and white blood cells around your body. It also carries hormones, salt, proteins and enzymes, as well as other important components, including antibodies.

“Along with water, salt, and enzymes, plasma also contains important components. These include antibodies, clotting factors, and the proteins albumin and fibrinogen,” the University of Rochester Medical School said. “When you donate blood, healthcare providers can separate these vital parts from your plasma. These parts can then be concentrated into various products.”

Cranston is among a long list of celebrities that tested positive for the potentially deadly disease. The list includes Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Pink, George Stephanopoulos and Andy Cohen.