Breaking Bad star opens up about bullying
Mitte, 21, says he still carries effects of abuse
“At the end of the day, people will watch someone get beaten,” says RJ Mitte — who played Walter White’s son on the acclaimed AMC series Breaking Bad.
“They’ll watch. They’ll let someone get beaten to death. They won’t do anything.”
Mitte isn’t talking about television drama. He’s referring to real life. And if he sounds cynical, perhaps he has good reason.
Like his character Walter
“PEOPLE WERE WITNESSES. THEY DIDN’T CARE.”
RJ MITTE
“Flynn” White Jr., the 21-yearold actor was born with cerebral palsy — a condition that made him a target for bullies as a child.
When Mitte comes to Windsor on Wednesday as the keynote speaker for Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week, he’ll be sharing some of his personal experiences with the issue.
They weren’t pleasant, to say the least.
“I went through the wringer,” Mitte recalls. “I had my hand broken. I got choked out ... (A bully) grabbed the back of my hoodie and pulled and threw me on the ground. That’s just some of it.”
Such abuse by other kids happened throughout Mitte’s childhood years. The hand- breaking incident took place when he was about 12.
“This goes on day after day. This is always happening. Kids are killing themselves over this,” Mitte says darkly.
Even darker are Mitte’s thoughts on those who witness bullying and do nothing. To him, the unthinking cruelty of some children may be terrible, but so is the inaction of others.
“While this was going on (with me), people saw. People were witnesses. They didn’t care,” he says. “For the most part, people just watch.”
Fortunately, Mitte had some cham- pions. He says his mother in particular was “a force to be reckoned with,” and there were others who stood with him and were making a difference in his life.
That’s why Mitte believes the ultimate solution to bullying is to stand up — advice not only for the victims of bullying, but all those around them.
“At the end of the day, you can’t do it alone,” Mitte says. “Having those good people around me was very important.
“That’s the thing. Get involved. Stand up for what you believe in. Stand up for what you know is right. Because — wouldn’t you want someone to stand up for you?”
These days, Mitte’s too busy to think much about his tormentors. Although he’s pretty sure they’re living lives “that are nothing compared to the life that I’m living.”
He got into acting — just for fun, at first — around 2006, after his family
“GET INVOLVED. STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN. STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU KNOW IS RIGHT.”
RJ MITTE
moved to Los Angeles from Louisiana.
Breaking Bad gave him his biggest role to date, and also his first dramatic one. Five gripping seasons later, Mitte says he’s honoured to have been involved in a show that has made such an impact. “I loved the finale. I think every amazing story has to have an amazing ending — and we had our amazing ending. I feel very lucky.”
His next role is with the ABC drama Switched at Birth. Mitte says the character is on the opposite end of the spectrum compared to Flynn — Camp- bell is a “very confident” pre-med student who has to make some interesting romantic decisions. “I wouldn’t call him a jerk. But he’s a little cocky,” Mitte offers.
Meanwhile, Mitte has been travelling the world for appearances and speaking engagements, raising awareness on cerebral palsy, bullying and other topics near to his heart.
“I talk about diversity in the arts and media, turning a disability into an ability,” he explains. “We’re all disabled in one way or another. Everyone has their own challenges.”
But Mitte knows that the bullying he endured as a child had an effect on him — one that he will likely carry for the rest of his life.
“Everything I had to go through ... created who I am today. It’s all about living your life, trying to do what’s right for you and what’s right by other people.”