RJ Mitte of “Breaking Bad” Supports Diversity and Awareness of Actors and Professionals with Disabilities

RJ Mitte found some time to talk with us about his support of diversity in the arts and media while he was busy supporting vendors and great causes at the GBK Gifting Lounge for the 2013 Emmy Awards.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKyklU2ssRE]
While recouping from a recent spine surgery, my wife decided to get Netflix so I could have movies and shows to watch non-stop. I discovered Breaking Bad and was crazy hooked. I watched episode after episode and I believe I finished it in about a weeks time.

I was excited when I saw RJ at a GBK event for the nominees and presenters of the Emmy’s. RJ has from Cerebral Palsy and he plays the part of a kid with cerebral palsy on the show.

RJ has been bullied as a kid in school and as an actor has had to face some rejection due to his affliction. In Breaking Bad his character is suffering from an obvious disability, but it is rarely underlined or even mentioned. He is just another character on the show.

This is what RJ fights for. He just wants people to love each other and embrace their differences.  It was great to be able to ask RJ about the charities and causes he supports as he travels around the country speaking at various colleges to talk about adversity and diversity in the arts and media.  – JW

RJ Mitte

From IMDB and Wikipedia

Roy Frank “RJ” Mitte III (born August 21, 1992) is an American actor, best known for his role as Walter “Flynn” White Jr. on the AMC series Breaking Bad. Like his character on Breaking Bad, Mitte has mild cerebral palsy. After moving to Hollywood in 2006, he began training with personal talent manager Addison Witt.^[2] Mitte and Witt sought out acting opportunities where his disability would serve to educate viewers, which led him to audition for the role in Breaking Bad.^[3]

After receiving several roles as extras, including in the Disney series Hannah Montana, Mitte became interested in films and decided to take acting lessons. Shortly after, he was offered the role of Walter White Jr., who also has cerebral palsy, in the AMC series Breaking Bad. The Screen Actors Guild named Mitte as the spokesman for actors with disabilities. He is the representative of “Inclusion in the Arts and Media of Performers with Disabilities”, which employs artists with disabilities.^[8]

Mitte will star in the film Wildflowers. His sister, 9-year-old Lacianne Carriere, will also be in the film. Mitte is one of the producers on the project. He is also working as a producer on a documentary called The Kids of Widney High. He hopes to branch out into directing. In 2011 he starred in the short horror film Stump.^[9] That same year, he worked as executive producer of the documentary Vanished: The Tara Calico Story, that deals with the disappearance of Tara Calico. In 2012 Mitte was cast in the thriller film House of Last Things. In 2013 Mitte played Child in the music video “Dead Bite” from rapcore band Hollywood Undead.

Breaking Bad

From Wikipedia

Breaking Bad is an American television crime drama series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and produced in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Breaking Bad is the story of Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer at the beginning of the series. He turns to a life of crime, producing and selling methamphetamine, in order to secure his family’s financial future before he dies,^[7] teaming with his former student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). Heavily serialized, the series is known for positioning its characters in seemingly inextricable corners and has been labeled a contemporary western by its creator.^[2]

The series premiered on January 20, 2008 in the United States and Canada on the cable channel AMC and is a production of Sony Pictures Television. On August 14, 2011, AMC announced that Breaking Bad had been renewed for a fifth and final season consisting of 16 episodes.^[8] This final season is split into two parts, each consisting of 8 episodes and broadcast over the course of two years. The first half premiered on July 15, 2012 and concluded on September 2, 2012; the second half premiered on August 11, 2013, and the series finale is scheduled to air on September 29, 2013.^[9]

Breaking Bad has received widespread critical acclaim,^{[10][11][12][13][14]} and is considered one of the greatest TV dramas of all time.^{[15][16][17][18]} Breaking Bad is now among the most-watched cable shows on American television, with audience numbers that doubled in the fifth season from the previous year’s episodes.^[19]

The series has won ten Primetime Emmy Awards, including three consecutive wins for Best Actor for Cranston, two wins for Best Supporting Actor for Paul, and one win for Best Supporting Actress for Gunn and Outstanding Drama Series after three nominations.

Links

Twitter
IMDB

I AM PWD

I AM PWD is a global civil rights campaign seeking equal employment opportunities for artists and professionals with disabilities throughout the entertainment and news media.

Founded in 2008 by the Actors Equity Association (AEA), American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and Screen ActorsGuild (SAG), Tri-Union Performers with Disabilities Committee, I AM PWD is dedicated to ending the discrimination and exclusion of performers and broadcasters with disabilities.

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