If a person spends their entire life manipulated by fear, tendencies to back down to intimidation will perpetuate and limit what a person can be, “Breaking Bad” co-star R.J. Mitte said on UW-Madison’s campus Wednesday night.
“It’s crazy to see what we are capable of when we don’t live in limitation,” Mitte added.
Mitte’s experiences as a person, actor, activist and son with cerebral palsy kicked off this semester’s Distinguished Lecture Series, bringing students and community members closer to the idea that adversity can be conquered.
In 2005, Mitte was offered a chance to enter the world of Hollywood, and said, “why not.” Although he said finding roles was and still is very difficult, Mitte said he was determined to make sure his characters expanded on the lives of people with disabilities instead of containing them to a stereotype.
Mitte said his role as Walter Jr. on “Breaking Bad” gave him that opportunity. Throughout his experiences with that show and others, he has become a part of Actors’ Equity, an organization that promotes actor diversity.
“We try to get people more aware of the importance of having disabled characters on television, and changing the mind-set of how you see disability,” Mitte said. “We’re trying to bring normality to what it is, and bringing truthful and honest characters to the screen.”
Determination is not always enough, however, to overcome daily struggles of adversity, Mitte said. After a personal question from an audience member asking how to get through days when giving up seems preferable, Mitte said his family provides motivation to continue.
“At the end of the day, [my family] is my main motivation, through all the times I really do want to quit and give up,” Mitte said. “But providing for my family … makes you want to keep doing this and keep pushing forward.”
Mitte said strangers can also motivate positive thinking, especially when someone steps forward and challenges bullying that makes hard days worse. That, at the end of day, is what Mitte said everyone can do to advance the world’s mind-set about disability and bullying.
“We’re all born leaders,” Mitte said. “We’re meant to engage, we’re meant to have an impact.”
