‘Breaking Bad’ Star RJ Mitte’s Fame From the Show Followed Him Around in One Annoying Way Nearly 10-Years After It Ended
- RJ Mitte credits Breaking Bad for putting him on the map and opening numerous opportunities in his career.
- The show significantly impacted Mitte’s life, helping him gain confidence but also gave one major annoyance.
- Post-Breaking Bad, Mitte has been involved in various projects, including starring in the film Triumph.
Towards the end of its five-season run, Breaking Bad ended up making Bryan Cranston and its wider major cast of Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, and RJ Mitte, some of the most recognized faces across the globe. However, the last on this list, the 32-year-old who played the role of Walter Jr., believes he earned the shot of his life with the series that revolved around his on-screen father’s destructive moral downfall.
Subsequently, this claim to fame has followed him around ever since, as the AMC show has hardly lost any sheen of its acclaimed glamor. Yet, there lies one major pitfall. In a classic case of connecting the character to the actor, a rather persistent and likely annoying issue goes around Mitte, despite more than a decade of the show airing its conclusion.
RJ Mitte points out one flaw in his Breaking Bad recognition
Suffering from cerebral palsy, RJ Mitte struggles with his motor skills and speech, similar to his on-screen character, Walter White Jr. However, unlike the latter, he does not use a crutch and can actually walk about in a way. Yet, this minute difference often invites unexpected remarks.
In talks with The Independent UK, the actor shared how fans have yet to separate his real identity from his reel one. Elaborating, he shared one common way several fans often greet him, after being considerably surprised by his proud able-ness to walk without support.
I really can’t go anywhere without at least one person calling out, ‘hey, dude, you’re from Breaking Bad, aren’t you? Yo, you can walk?’
The persistence of being constantly poked for not holding crutches may feel untoward and increasingly annoying to an average Joe. However, the case is not the same with this actor who radiates cordiality, as he usually laughs it off while also considering this recognition as noteworthy.
I get some wild stuff, man. But you know, that’s part of this industry. That’s something that people strive for for years and never obtain.
On an expanded note, Mitte credited many of his life’s major turnovers to the Bryan Cranston starrer, ranging from remembrance to new and upcoming opportunities.
Breaking Bad transformed RJ Mitte’s life completely!
Breaking Bad perhaps had the biggest real-life impact on RJ Mitte, amongst all of its cast. Its fateful end left the actor and his on-screen character to mend their futures in very separate ways. In the aftermath of the episode Ozymandias, Walter Jr. shed past his father’s life of criminal trickery on a grim note. Meanwhile, the actor found his pot of gold.
In the same round of talks, he claimed the series was the one that “put me on the map”. Thereafter, the actor shined a light on his life’s most recent achievements and credited it all to the show.
Breaking Bad put me on the map. You’re only talking to me today because of it. None of my projects would exist without that show and the opportunity it gave me. It really opened a lot of doors for me. I wouldn’t have the media profile and the following that I have today without Walter White Jr. I would just be some kid who lives in Texas.
Quite recently, Mitte co-hosted Channel 4’s coverage of the 2016 Paralympic Games. Additionally, he also starred as the lead in the 2021 flick, Triumph which also featured Terrence Howard, following a story of a differently abled high-school senior’s aspirations of becoming a wrestler. Thereafter, upcoming productions like Isaac, Standing Up for Sunny, and Wildflower also remain on the cards for the Breaking Bad star.
