RJ Mitte does not see his disability as something that makes him different from others

RJ MITTE is known for playing the son of science teacher turned drug king pin Walter White in Breaking Bad but it turns out he’s the real life badass.

You choose to say ‘I can’t do something’

RJ MITTE is known for playing the son of science teacher turned drug king pin Walter White in Breaking Bad but it turns out he’s the real life badass.

While many would expect Mitte to use crutches just like his character Flynn, the 23-year-old does not need them, after he strengthened his body as a teenager through sports and exercise so he could walk without them.

Mitte, who has mild cerebral palsy, recreated some of the physical limitations to play the role, which he took on when he was just 14 years old.

Another thing that many might not know is that Mitte has been financially responsible for his adopted mother and younger sister since he was 13, after his mum was paralysed for six years from an accident.

“The only worry I ever had was taking care of my family,” Mitte told news.com.au on World Cerebral Palsy Day ahead of his talk Overcoming Adversity in Sydney and Melbourne this month.

Mitte has not let his worries take over his life and does not see his disability as something that makes him different from other people.

He said he believed everyone had a disability, whether it be physical or mental, or whether it stemmed from relationships with family, friends or other people.

“I don’t look at disability just as a physical or mental attribute, I look at it as an obstacle ... that you have to overcome,” he said.

“It may come as a physical challenge, it may come as a mental, or it may come to you as something completely different, as a way of life, as an incident, as an opportunity to change your life,” he said.

The way he looked at it, everyone was in the same “sinking ship”.

“So many times people look at somebody with a disability as an illness, as a weakness, I look at it as a knowledge, as a strength, as an opportunity because disability to me is a challenge, it’s a personal challenge to overcome something that most people see as impossible to overcome ... but it is possible, it just takes time,” he said.

Mitte wants to remind others of how normal disabilities are and to encourage people to step out of their comfort zones.

“No one in this world is normal, no one in this world is perfect, we all have our flaws, we all have our weaknesses,” he said.

“We all have these challenges, we all have these issues in our lives that will force us into a position we may not want to be in, but we need to look at that as an amazing opportunity to have an impact,” he said.

When starting out as an actor, Mitte said never worried about whether or not he would “make it”.

“People worry so much and they’re always panicking, and rushing around. I find over time those worries will fade but we need to stop (reacting) from a place of fear,” he said.

“When it comes to taking on a challenge, and taking on the responsibility, a lot of the time you have no other option,” he said, referring to his role as breadwinner of his family.

RJ with fellow Breaking Bad castmates: Bryan Cranston (left) and Anna Gunn.

“Not everybody is going to be in the same situation but the thing is we all have that same ability to push forward and that perseverance we have inside us to make us strive, to make us not want to give up.

“You choose to say ‘I can’t do something’, ‘I can’t run 10 miles’ or ‘I can’t this new job’.

“If you have that mindset of ‘you can’t do something’, you won’t be able to do it.

“But if you go in without fear, without regret, without worry and give it your best, yes, it may not work out, but the thing is you did give it your best, you did have a chance and you did fight for that.

“Most people don’t even go in giving it 100 per cent, because they’re so busy worrying about ‘I hope they hire me’, ‘I hope this happens’, or “what if this doesn’t happen?’

“If you have all those thoughts cluttering your mind, it won’t work out.”

Since finishing up with Breaking Bad, Mitte has appeared in a couple of films and when asked whether he was happy with the roles he was being offered, he said he was but it was always going to be a fight to get the ones he wanted.

“Nothing in life that you really want, comes without a price,” he said.

“When it comes down to roles ... you’re not always going to be finding the best roles you want, and the thing is I don’t strictly want to rely on my acting to keep me going, that’s why I do so many things. I model, I produce, I act, I work in the film industry. A year may go by and I may not act, but the thing is I’ve never stopped working.”

RJ Mitte will be speaking about Overcoming Adversity in Sydney. Picture supplied by Sydney Opera House.

Mitte is auditioning constantly and is in the middle of shooting a movie called Triumph, as well as doing a lot of non-profit work and sitting on the board of a couple of non-profit organisations. While he is in Australia he will also complete a modelling assignment in Wollongong.

He has also appeared in film Who’s Driving Doug and played a couple of roles where the character does not have a disability including a film called Dixieland and a short film that will be released on YouTube this month called Gods and Secrets, in which he plays the villain.

“I keep working, keep pushing forward, keep creating a path for myself,” he said.

Mitte wants to show others that they can do the same, and he is not just “one in a million”.

“It’s something that everybody has the ability to do, and it’s just taking the time, taking the risk and not being afraid to put your eggs in multiple baskets,” he said.

He thought the main thing people with disabilities struggled with was how stand-offish others were with them.

“A lot of times people see the crutches or they see the chair first, it should be person first,” he said.

“When you first saw Walter Jr (on Breaking Bad) you saw the crutches, then after you start watching (the show), you saw the character, and that’s what we really need to change.”

RJ Mitte will be speaking about Overcoming Adversity at the Sydney Opera House on October 12, and in Melbourne on October 14.

Originally published as RJ Mitte does not see his disability as something that makes him different from others