We’re all responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in different ways. Some of us are handling the social isolation part better than others. Some of us are already at the point where we’re rationing our household supplies. Case in point: James Gunn, who seems to very much be in that boat, has already been forced to use his reserve of toilet paper decorated with a Guardians of the Galaxy actor’s face.
The director is surely not alone in his current predicament, since there was a nationwide run on paper products like toilet paper in the lead-up to a push for social distancing. He at least seems to be taking his own shortage in stride. On March 25, he shared a picture of his toilet paper dispenser on his Twitter account. Rather than having your average, run-of-the-mill toilet paper roll attached to it, though, his currently has Michael Rooker’s face on it. The picture, which seemingly covers every sheet of the roll, shows the Guardians of the Galaxy actor posing with a pair of sunglasses.
James Gunn explains in his tweet that he actually bought several rolls of his Rooker toilet paper as a Christmas gag gift and, according to him, he never thought he’d actually be in a position where he’d have to use it:
Fans were, unsurprisingly, quick to reply to the tweet with their own brand of toilet humor. If nothing else, it offered a moment of levity for people who are currently sitting at home bored, scared, or all of the above. This isn’t the only time James Gunn has stepped up to keep his fans entertained during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A couple of weeks ago, he tweeted out a great list of films that fans can “Quarantine and chill” with while social distancing. He’s shared some more recommendations since -- as well as some musings about how to survive difficult times.
He’s also been one of the celebrities speaking up about the pandemic and trying to spread accurate information about COVID-19. That includes encouraging social distancing and dispelling false stories and rumors that have cropped up in the days since the virus began to spread rapidly in the United States. You could even argue he’s doing his part by staying in his house and using his Michael Rooker-themed toilet paper rather than running out to the store to try to find more.
Michael Rooker is a longtime friend of James Gunn. The actor has appeared in several of the director’s films, including Slither, Super and his upcoming The Suicide Squad. Yet their most well-known collaboration to date is definitely the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, in which Michael Rooker played Yondu. It’s unclear whether or not James Gunn also sent the actor home with his own toilet paper. If he did, we wonder if he’s also had to resort to using it yet.
