Crutches and wheelchairs aren’t a sign of disability — they’re proof of the strength to fight through it.
RJ Mitte, known for his role as Walt “Flynn” Jr. on the hit AMC show “Breaking Bad,” spoke about overcoming fear and adversity at the University Center Auditorium Oct. 2.
While Mitte’s witty and charismatic nature contradicted that of Walt Jr., the moody teenager of the White family, he and his character share one thing in common: both have mild forms of cerebral palsy, a nervous system disorder that affects movement and communication.
However, despite going through years of therapy to overcome the physical effects of cerebral palsy, including a speech impediment and mobility problems with his legs, Mitte said that he does not consider himself disabled.
“I didn’t know I was disabled until people started asking what was wrong with me,” Mitte said.
He noted that he never allowed his condition, or other people’s preconceived ideas about what he was capable of doing, hinder him from achieving his goals, including walking without crutches and becoming an actor.
“I didn’t allow people to instill fear into who I was and who I am,” Mitte said. “I’ve never let ‘no’ and doubt fuel my actions.”
The only true disability, he said, is succumbing to a fear of failure.
Natalie Bennett, vice chair of Issues Committee, the organization which brought Mitte to campus, and junior in College Scholars, said she hopes students who attended the event “take time to understand where people are coming from,” and develop a greater understanding of what it’s like to live with a disability.
Allison Gose, a senior in history who suffers from muscular dystrophy, related to Mitte’s talk and said she experienced the same fear and doubts from her family and friends when she first considered attending the University of Tennessee four years ago.
“Going to college, coming here, a lot of people said that wasn’t ever going to happen,” Gose said. “Especially UT, instead of going to Pellissippi first, or MTSU, because I was going to fail.”
Through “Breaking Bad’s” popularity over the past few years, Mitte has been able to advocate and spread awareness for cerebral palsy and for people with disabilities through the National Disability Association, United Cerebral Palsy and Inclusion in the Arts and Media of Performers With Disabilities.
“I’m lucky to be a part of these organizations and make a difference,” Mitte said.
He hopes that through his involvement in these organizations, he can help draw attention to disabled people and actors, working to promote an accurate portrayal of this population on television.
Gose said this kind of awareness is crucial.
“It’s very important that you know that people with disabilities are individuals,” she said. “You need to go in with an open mind and treat them the way you would treat anyone else, see them as a person and realize they have a whole backstory.”
Mitte applies the reality of living with a disability to the disabled characters he often portrays, focusing first on the character as an individual with a “heart and soul” before considering a specific ailment.
“(Disabled people) may happen to be in a chair or have crutches, but they’re not disabled,” he said. “They’re real people, they’re strong people, they have lives, they fight for what they believe in and who they are.
“That’s not a disability.”
