RJ Mitte’s Final Texts Expose a Long Hollywood Struggle

RJ Mitte spent years fighting for the chance to prove that his cerebral palsy did not define the roles he could play. 

Behind the success of “Breaking Bad,” the actor privately questioned Hollywood’s reluctance to give disabled performers meaningful opportunities, even as he kept auditioning and developing his own projects. 

Messages that now reveal his frustrations offer a painful look at a career shaped by persistence, disappointment, and a determination to change an industry he believed overlooked his talent.

RJ Mitte Challenged Hollywood’s Casting Practices

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RJ Mitte’s frustration with Hollywood was rooted in a recurring problem: casting professionals often treated disability as a reason to exclude him from roles that had not been written specifically for disabled characters. 

In an April 2017 private message to a longtime friend obtained by the Daily Mail, he described the uncomfortable reactions he encountered when he questioned that approach.

“When I go for a part, they sometimes tell me that it’s not a character with a disability, and I’m like why can’t the character be disabled?” he wrote.

Mitte believed a character could have cerebral palsy without the entire storyline revolving around the condition. 

His role as Walter White Jr., the son of Bryan Cranston’s chemistry teacher turned drug manufacturer on AMC’s “Breaking Bad,” had demonstrated his ability to play a character whose life extended beyond his disability. 

Yet the show’s success did not bring the steady stream of opportunities he had hoped for. “I can do any role, but some of [the casting agents and directors] are a**h****s who won’t even look at me,” he wrote in another 2017 message. 

He kept auditioning, but a television pilot he worked on didn’t move forward. “Worked on a pilot that didn’t go, a few months ago. Brutal biz,” he wrote that December.

Mitte Struggled To Find Consistent Work

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The difficulty securing roles also affected RJ Mitte’s ability to plan for his future. After completing an independent film project in Sydney, Australia, he explained in February 2019 that he hoped to find more work in the United States. 

The overseas project had been enjoyable, but it did not guarantee another opportunity at home. “I did a job in Sydney, and it was fun,” the 34-year-old wrote. 

He added, “But it’s a film not going to be here, it’s Australian, I hope I can find stuff here. I would like to work enough to keep my [health] insurance. Pain in the ass lol.”

When the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the entertainment industry in 2020, Mitte continued pursuing projects, including work in Canada and voice acting. He also recognized that completing projects was not enough if casting professionals forgot he was available.

“I’ve got to figure out more work,” he wrote in June 2020, adding, “I need to keep myself relevant lol.” He later offered to do video interviews and other promotional opportunities, explaining, “I just need to remind people to book me.”

By March 2021, Mitte believed disabled actors were facing additional barriers because of assumptions about their health and insurability during the pandemic. 

“Gotta convince people that I’m not going to die of Covid. There’s a backlash about people with disabilities, they think that we can’t be insured or that we are going to die in the middle of a scene, its bullshit,” he wrote.

RJ Mitte Pursued Greater Representation And New Projects

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Mitte’s concerns extended beyond finding work for himself. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at three, he became an advocate for disabled performers, serving as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s. 

In 2016, he publicly called for television to portray disabled people in ordinary, varied roles rather than limiting them to stories about their conditions.

“I would love to switch on my TV and see a disabled person talking about something they are genuinely interested in or acting out a part that doesn’t just focus on their impairment,” the star said.

His private messages showed that he remained dissatisfied with the scripts he received. In April 2022, he told his friend that some offered little more than a token appearance. 

“Looking for interesting stuff to do, getting a lot of scripts where I would be a prop and they don’t want to give any depth, 3 lines if that,” he wrote. “I’m writing my own s**t now.”

Four months later, he complained that they were mainly offering him animation work. By July 2025, however, he was considering “Dancing with the Stars” as a possible platform to challenge assumptions about cerebral palsy, provided the experience preserved his dignity.

More From The Blast

Details Of Mitte’s Tragic Demise Revealed

According to a report from The Blast, RJ Mitte died by suicide on Monday, October 12, at age 34 in Brownsville, Texas. 

His representatives confirmed his death, with a statement that read, “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte.”

The statement also said Mitte drew on his experience living with cerebral palsy to bring authenticity to his role as Walter White Jr. on Breaking Bad and to promote disability awareness and inclusion.

It added that he served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s, and led The Mitte Foundation, which supported philanthropic efforts and community initiatives.

RJ Mitte’s Upcoming Movie Put On Hold After Death

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Mitte’s death also disrupted production of “Forgotten Outlaw,” a Western in which he was cast as the lead. 

TMZ reported that the film had been placed on hold, with director Nik Tizekker planning to continue the project in the late actor’s honor.

Tizekker told the outlet that the film was in pre-production and that Mitte had been helping the team secure additional financing before his death. The director considered the Hollywood star a strong fit for the central role because of his mindset and physical resemblance to the person he was set to portray.

Although the production would need to find another leading actor, Tizekker said he intended to move forward with the movie rather than abandon it.

Mitte had also been collaborating with Tizekker on “Like It Was Yesterday,” a limited series exploring near-death experiences. The actor had filmed scenes with Catherine Carlen, who played his mother in the project.

The series was about half complete before Mitte’s death. Tizekker hoped to finish and release it if the necessary funding could be secured.