Recently, my buddy, Stanley, and I had the opportunity to listen to and meet a talented actor who lives with cerebral palsy. His story was both insightful and inspirational. The following is an article I posted in the school newspaper about the event:
“You may not realize the affect your words can have on others. At first they may only create a chip, but someday that chip becomes a crack, and eventually that crack will shatter,” these are just a few of the insightful words that RJ Mitte spoke to a filled auditorium at Harper College on Tuesday October 8th. The speech called, “ Overcoming Adversity: Turning a Disadvantage into an Advantage,” addressed RJ Mitte’s personal struggles with bullying and living with cerebral palsy.
RJ Mitte is known for his role in AMC’s Emmy award-winning show, Breaking Bad, which concluded its five-season run a week prior to his speech. In the show, Mitte played Walter “Flynn” White Jr; the son of chemistry teacher turned meth dealer played by Bryan Cranston. Originally from Louisiana, Mitte became an actor after his family moved to Los Angeles when he was thirteen years old.
In the show, as in real life, Mitte lives with mild cerebral palsy. He explained that he was diagnosed with CP at age 3, and compared it to having a Charlie horse throughout his entire body at all times. Despite the obvious struggles of living with a disability, Mitte actually explained that he feels fortunate to have been born this way. “ For everything taken away, more has been provided. Without my disability I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be on Breaking Bad, and I wouldn’t be here tonight.”
Mitte takes his celebrity status very seriously. Using the platform provided by Breaking Bad, Mitte is now advocating for people with disabilities. He explained, “I want to talk about the subjects people want to avoid. I want people to know that just because someone has a disability does not mean they are not capable.” Mitte is currently the Screen Actors Guild representative for actors with disabilities, and a spokesman for various other disability advocacy organizations.
Mitte endured through a lot of bullying during his childhood. He recalls the moments when people would stand up for him and how meaningful that was for him. At this point he challenged the Harper audience to do the right thing, “ When the opportunity comes to stand up for what is right will you do it? Will you stand up for those being mistreated? Whether or not they have cerebral palsy, everyone has their own challenges and differences, and it is our job to stand up for eachother.”
The most powerful moment of the evening came during the Q&A portion when an usher read a question written by an audience member. She asked, “What should I tell my four year old daughter who has to live with an eye patch, a hearing aid, and glasses?” RJ asked for the audience member who wrote the question to raise her hand, and then he spoke directly to her, “ Being a parent of a child with a disability is the hardest job in the world. When she is older you hope she will be able to understand.” He paused, took a breath, and calmly finished his thought,” But for now, you should tell your daughter that these are the things that make her unique. That being unique is not a bad thing. Being unique is beautiful.”
“You may not realize the affect your words can have on others. At first they may only create a chip, but someday that chip becomes a crack, and eventually that crack will shatter,” these are just a few of the insightful words that RJ Mitte spoke to a filled auditorium at Harper College on Tuesday October 8th. The speech called, “ Overcoming Adversity: Turning a Disadvantage into an Advantage,” addressed RJ Mitte’s personal struggles with bullying and living with cerebral palsy.
RJ Mitte is known for his role in AMC’s Emmy award-winning show, Breaking Bad, which concluded its five-season run a week prior to his speech. In the show, Mitte played Walter “Flynn” White Jr; the son of chemistry teacher turned meth dealer played by Bryan Cranston. Originally from Louisiana, Mitte became an actor after his family moved to Los Angeles when he was thirteen years old.
In the show, as in real life, Mitte lives with mild cerebral palsy. He explained that he was diagnosed with CP at age 3, and compared it to having a Charlie horse throughout his entire body at all times. Despite the obvious struggles of living with a disability, Mitte actually explained that he feels fortunate to have been born this way. “ For everything taken away, more has been provided. Without my disability I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be on Breaking Bad, and I wouldn’t be here tonight.”
Mitte takes his celebrity status very seriously. Using the platform provided by Breaking Bad, Mitte is now advocating for people with disabilities. He explained, “I want to talk about the subjects people want to avoid. I want people to know that just because someone has a disability does not mean they are not capable.” Mitte is currently the Screen Actors Guild representative for actors with disabilities, and a spokesman for various other disability advocacy organizations.
Mitte endured through a lot of bullying during his childhood. He recalls the moments when people would stand up for him and how meaningful that was for him. At this point he challenged the Harper audience to do the right thing, “ When the opportunity comes to stand up for what is right will you do it? Will you stand up for those being mistreated? Whether or not they have cerebral palsy, everyone has their own challenges and differences, and it is our job to stand up for eachother.”
The most powerful moment of the evening came during the Q&A portion when an usher read a question written by an audience member. She asked, “What should I tell my four year old daughter who has to live with an eye patch, a hearing aid, and glasses?” RJ asked for the audience member who wrote the question to raise her hand, and then he spoke directly to her, “ Being a parent of a child with a disability is the hardest job in the world. When she is older you hope she will be able to understand.” He paused, took a breath, and calmly finished his thought,” But for now, you should tell your daughter that these are the things that make her unique. That being unique is not a bad thing. Being unique is beautiful.”