LOS ANGELES • The stars of the movie Contagion (2011), which has seen a surge in popularity as the coronavirus has spread across the globe, last Friday urged fans to listen to the experts, wash their hands frequently and practise social distancing.
"That was a movie. This is real life," said actor Matt Damon, who played a character who was immune to the virus featured in the thriller about a pandemic.
The movie is directed by Steven Soderbergh, who won the Oscar for his movie Traffic (2000), which explores the illegal drug trade.
Cast members Damon, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne and Jennifer Ehle teamed up with scientists from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health to release public service announcements on some ways to contain the virus.
Rentals, sales and downloads of Contagion have been soaring in recent weeks.
Last Friday, it was in 10th place on the iTunes movie charts for the United States, one spot above the newly released Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise Of Skywalker (2019).
The movie follows a mysterious deadly infection that spreads quickly around the world, causing a breakdown in society, and efforts by American scientists to find a cure.
Ehle, who plays a scientist who helps to discover a vaccine in the movie, urged people to heed the advice of scientists and medical experts "and that means tuning out the voices with other agendas, no matter how powerful they might be".
The movie also stars Jude Law, Marion Cotillard, Gwyneth Paltrow and Bryan Cranston.
REUTERS
