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The actor who played the main character's son on the hit TV show "Breaking Bad" has died. RJ Mitte was 34 years old. He had cerebral palsy and was an advocate for people with disabilities. Over the weekend, Mitte took his own life in Brownsville, Texas. NPR's Mandalit del Barco has more.
MANDALIT DEL BARCO, BYLINE: On "Breaking Bad," Mitte played Flynn, the teenage son of the lead character, Walter White, portrayed by Bryan Cranston.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "BREAKING BAD")
RJ MITTE: (As Flynn) Are you seriously kicking me out of my own house? Are you seriously doing that?
BRYAN CRANSTON: (As Walter White) We're not kicking you out of anywhere, son. We love you.
DEL BARCO: Mitte was 14 when he started on the show and 21 when it ended. And like his character, Mitte had cerebral palsy, though his real life condition was milder.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MITTE: It really felt real playing this character and getting into the groove with this character.
DEL BARCO: This month on "The Joe Vulpis Podcast," Mitte talked about having been on the show created by Vince Gilligan.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "THE JOE VULPIS PODCAST")
MITTE: My character, Walt Jr., was based on a real person, a friend of Vince's - Vince had in college, who had cerebral palsy, who used forearm crutches and sometime after passed away.
DEL BARCO: Mitte said he grew up without using crutches but learned to walk with them for the role. He also slowed down his speech. Here he is on the BBC in 2015, talking about "Breaking Bad."
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MITTE: It gave me a career, and it gave me an opportunity to bring light to disabilities that need to be heard and to show people how normal a disability really is.
DEL BARCO: Mitte used his platform to challenge stereotypes and promote representation for people with disabilities. He was an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children's and was president of the Mitte Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Texas that offers community grants and scholarships.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "TALKING TO STRANGERS")
MITTE: (As Joshua) I've never even kissed a girl.
DEL BARCO: Mitte costarred in the romantic drama "Talking With Strangers," (ph) which premiered two weeks ago and is playing on Amazon. His character talks with his romantic partner about what it's like to live with his disability.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "TALKING TO STRANGERS")
MITTE: (As Joshua) Most people, they want to stand out, to be seen, to show others how different they are. But me, people like me, we spend our entire lives standing out, being stopped and stared at.
DEL BARCO: Mitte was born in Louisiana and moved to Hollywood with his family after a talent agent spotted his baby sister. He was still a kid when he began as an extra on the TV show "Hannah Montana," but "Breaking Bad" was his big break. On Instagram, Bryan Cranston said he was in despair over Mitte's death. He called him - my sweet son who never allowed the challenge of cerebral palsy to be an excuse for anything. Cranston also urged anyone contemplating suicide to call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Mandalit del Barco, NPR News, Los Angeles. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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