Mel Brooks' son on their viral coronavirus social distancing video: 'We all have a role to play so let's do our part'
Author Max Brooks is sharing why he and his famous father, comedic filmmaker and actor Mel Brooks, made that viral social media video urging people to practice social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Brookses posted the 51-second video on Twitter on Monday.
"Hi, I'm Max Brooks. I'm 47 years old. This is my dad, Mel Brooks. ... He's 93," Max Brooks says in the video as his father stands on the other side of a glass door. "If I get the coronavirus, I’ll probably be OK. But if I give it to him, he could give it to Carl Reiner, who could give it to Dick Van Dyke, and before I know it, I’ve wiped out a whole generation of comedic legends."
"When it comes to coronavirus," Max Brooks continues, "I have to think about who I can infect, and so should you. So practice social distancing. Avoid crowds. Wash your hands. Keep 6 feet away from people. And if you've got the option to stay home, just stay home."
"Do your part. Don't be a spreader," Max Brooks says at the end of the Twitter video. "Right, dad?"
"Go home. Go," Mel Brooks says, waving his son away before smiling and waving at the camera.
Max Brooks told ABC News on Wednesday that he had seen his message spread across the internet. As of Wednesday, the video had more than 15 million views.
"When I shot that video, I couldn't go in the house. So that bit about me waving to him through the glass, that was real. I haven't hugged my dad since this started. Neither has my son, and that's how it's going to have to be," he said.
I haven't hugged my dad since this started.
Max Brooks said that everyone mentioned in that viral video is doing OK, including his father.
"Dad's OK. I just spoke to him a little while ago. ... As far as I know, this generation of comedic legends is OK," Max Brooks said. "As individual citizens... we have a duty to buy time for science and industry. We all have a role to play so let's do our part."
