The 'Do the Right Thing' actress remembers feeling 'terrified' after she was diagnosed with coronavirus after flying to Bangkok at the beginning of the pandemic.

• Dec 2, 2020

AceShowbiz - Rosie Perez battled the coronavirus almost a year ago.

"The Flight Attendant" star - who plays Megan Briscoe in the HBO Max series - revealed she contracted the respiratory illness when she was filming for the programme in Bangkok, Thailand.

"I had contracted COVID when we flew to Bangkok," she told UPROXX. "And at that time, they were saying 'It's a new respiratory tract infection. It's a virus that's going around.' "

" 'We don't really know what it is and what it does, but it attacks the respiratory system first and then travels to other parts of your body.' "

The 56-year-old actress admitted having the virus was "terrifying" and she was urged at the time to wear a mask to "protect" both herself and others.

"I remember my manager was with me, and I said, 'Tarik, don't let me die in Bangkok,' " she continued. "And he goes, 'Oh my God, you're scaring me.' "

,p> "And the head of the ICU says, 'You should be scared, sir. This is serious. We're going to have to put her in a separate room.' "

"I remember the doctor saying to me, 'The mask that you have on, the mask that I have on, every time you go outside, every time you meet someone wear that mask - not just for you, but to protect them too.' And I haven't forgotten it."

Rosie went on to detail the protocols and restrictions which were put in place after the cast and crew returned to set after production was shut down due to the pandemic.

"I was very nervous, but when I got on set, everything was run so efficiently. It was bizarre," she said. "Standing in line for the COVID test, having hair and makeup with the goggles and the face masks, and then the face shields and the blue emergency room gowns..."

"They were really professional about it, real champs, and put everyone at ease. But it was hard."