// BBC ENTERTAINMENT & ARTS — MODA & SOCIETÀ
How Breaking Bad's RJ Mitte changed the way we see cerebral palsy
'Disabled or not, everyone deserves an opportunity,' RJ Mitte says in 2015 BBC interview
"I have cerebral palsy but I've never let it hold me back."
Those are the words of a 22-year-old Breaking Bad star RJ Mitte in an essay for Huffpost, external back in 2014.
Explaining his experiences of learning to stand up to bullies while growing up, he added: "It shouldn't define you. I just happen to have 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.
"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.
"When we see RJ Mitte on TV just playing a role, but who also happens to have CP, I think that's really powerful."
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.
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."
Mitte's legacy, particularly for performers with disabilities, is significant.