- Published
"I have cerebral palsy but I've never let it hold me back."
asserted
it → publish → me
Explaining his experiences of learning to stand up to bullies while growing up, he added: "It shouldn't define you.
asserted
It → explain → you
I just happen to have CP."
asserted
I → happen → CP
That was also true of Mitte's character Walter 'Flynn' White Jr, the son of Bryan Cranston's character in the drama, which was recently named the best TV show of the 21st Century by the New York Times.
asserted
which → name → Times
"What I really like is that he was on TV playing a character that had cerebral palsy, but it wasn't about the fact that he had cerebral palsy," says Emma Livingstone, founder and CEO of Up - the Adult Cerebral Palsy Movement.
asserted
Livingstone → like → Movement
"When we see RJ Mitte on TV just playing a role, but who also happens to have CP, I think that's really powerful."
asserted
that → see → CP
Mitte, who died by suicide on Monday at the age of 34, wasn't just an actor - he was also an advocate and supporter, working as an ambassador for charities including United Cerebral Palsy and Can Do Canines, as well as creating The Mitte Foundation, which offered community grants in his home town in Texas.
asserted
which → die → Texas
Susan Sellers, president and CEO of United Cerebral Palsy, says: "His advocacy was rooted in a commitment to ensuring that people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities are seen, heard, and afforded the opportunity to reach their full potential."
asserted
people → say → potential
Ruth Madeley, who stars as disability rights advocate Judy Heumann in new film Being Heumann, tells the BBC: "If you don't see it, you don't think it's possible.
asserted
it → star → it
I didn't even think it was an option."
asserted
it → think → ?
The actress, who has spina bifida, adds: "To have people like him [Mitte] on screen for so many young people looking at the arts as an industry that they want to get into...
asserted
they → have → that
But he wasn't just a disabled person breaking down barriers in the industry.
asserted
he → break → industry
He was a phenomenal talent, and I think that's what's going to be missed so much."
asserted
what → think → ?
Another actor, Keron Day, who appeared in Netflix hit Sex Education, tells the BBC: "My biggest tribute I can pay to RJ and his work is that I am emailing you today from a set of a TV show.
"
asserted
I → appear → show
That is his legacy: disabled people having careers within the creative industries.
asserted
people → have → industries
If I could have half the impact that RJ has had, I would be enormously proud.
uncertain
I → have → that
Comedian and screenwriter Laurence Clarke concurs.
asserted
Clarke → concur → ?
"The more portrayals that we see on TV, that's going to inspire more disabled people to think it's a career for them," he says.
asserted
he → see → them
"Things have moved on a long way since Breaking Bad came out in 2008.
asserted
Bad → move → 2008
Speaking of Mitte's role in Breaking Bad, Clarke tells the BBC: "What's beautiful about it is that the disability is visibly there, always."
asserted
disability → speak → it
He also notes the impact on people watching inclusive dramas and shows.
asserted
He → note → dramas
"The more you're exposed to those portrayals, as members of the public, it becomes just part of life, and how you see the world."
asserted
you → expose → world
Mitte was aged three when he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, which the NHS describes as the name for a group of lifelong conditions that affect movement and co-ordination caused by a problem with the brain that develops around birth.
asserted
that → diagnose → birth
He was cast in Breaking Bad at 14, and told Channel 4 News in 2016 that the show "pioneered a lot of TV and writers to be more brave".
But he added a note of caution, saying: "We still have a long way to go...
asserted
We → cast → way
it's still a business and we have to do that slowly."
asserted
we → have → that
Earlier this month, he hinted that he may be interested in continuing the Breaking Bad story, external, but said any revival would have a lot to live up to.
uncertain
revival → hint → lot
"I just want to top Breaking Bad, that's the hardest," he said.
asserted
he → want → Bad
"I set a bar for myself as a young man that is kinda unattainable.
asserted
that → set → man
I tell people, 'Look, it's a long way down from the top of the mountain'."
asserted
it → tell → mountain
After Breaking Bad, Mitte's other on-screen credits include Hannah Montana, Switched at Birth, Westhampton and his latest project, Talking to Strangers, which came out earlier this year.
asserted
which → include → Strangers
"Where I felt most top of the world was being able to help others through Breaking Bad, with the work I've done with people with disabilities... trying to remind people they have a voice and [to] lend my voice.
asserted
they → feel → voice
"The greatest thing that Breaking Bad has given me is to be able to lend my voice to causes that make a meaningful impact, that change people's lives."
asserted
that → give → lives
The Aporia
