The whole day I was working myself up into a frenzy because I thought I was going to fuck everything up. I was barely eating, just munching on crackers occasionally, and I'd only had coffee and some water to drink. At one point I thought I might actually vomit from the nerves. Thankfully all that settled down after I'd gotten some sage words from my cousin.
"You're both just regular people doing your jobs. You'll be fine."
I'll definitely apply that the next time I interview anyone, not just celebrities. Thanks a bunch!
So I calmed down after that and I managed to eat some toast and drink more water. I cleaned myself up a bit (OK, a lot) and put my face on before I headed out the door. I waited with a few other reporters outside the doors to Plachta Auditorium before we were allowed in to set things up. I was fine as we were joking around with each other... until the manager said, "Alright. I'm gonna go grab him." My heart was in my throat and I thought I'd vomit again. But as soon as he walked in the door, I was utterly at ease. We shook hands, introduced ourselves, and the interview began.
It was a lot of fun. RJ was very laid back and very funny. He talked about what it was like to grow up with his mild Cerebral Palsy and how he never allowed it to control him. He was very inspirational and everything he said rang true. I also have a cousin with a very severe case of CP, so his words were so uplifting. But more on that in the article below.
After the interview, he took photos with us and signed a few posters. I even got a hug! RJ was such an amazing person to talk to and I was so honored and lucky enough to have met and interviewed him. It's not been 24 hours yet and I'm still on Cloud 9 and in total awe of him and all he's accomplished. We're the same age (I'm six months older, but still) and look at where we are today. He was on a TV series with a huge cult following, and I'm working on becoming an entertainment interviewer and an author. I still can't believe I was lucky enough to meet him. Holy crap.
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| Me with RJ Mitte!!!!! |
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| I also got his autograph! He wrote "Have an A1 Day!" I'm fangirling so hard right now. |
Here's the article that was published via Grand Central Magazine. Below is the full version I co-wrote with my fellow Campus Life writer.
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America loves him not only for his strong acting skills. Or because his dad is a badass meth dealer. America loves R.J. Mitte, better known as Walter White, Jr. from the AMC original series, "Breaking Bad," because despite the obstacles he faces in life, he overcomes them.
The actor captivated an audience of about 700 students and residents alike in the Plachta Auditorium with his remarkable story of overcoming insurmountable odds, all while dealing with a devastating physical and mental disability. His condition, a rare form of Cerebral Palsy (which also plagues his character on the show), stems from a lack of oxygen to the brain during childbirth. It is known to vary in effect from patient to patient, leaving many with the inability to obtain balance, walk or even speak.
Before his speech, Mitte sat down with Grand Central Magazine to discuss what it was like growing up with Cerebral Palsy and how he turned it into a career asset.
"I never thought of my disability as a disability," Mitte said. "I never allowed it to limit me. When you have a physical disability, people look at you as disabled or like you're less of a person. They look at you like you need so much more help, which isn't true."
Mitte said that people see disabilities as weaknesses, but that isn't how he sees them. He sees them as strength and knowledge.
"I'm lucky enough to have my disability because I wouldn't be here without it," Mitte said. "I wouldn't have the knowledge I have today to take into my other roles without my disability."
His role as Walter, Jr. on the hit series "Breaking Bad" allowed him to not only use his disability as an asset, but to show the public that having a disability isn't as rare as it's made out to be.
"I think it's important to show characters with disabilities on television and film because there are so many people with disabilities - physical and mental - and people need to see how normal it is," Mitte said. "If you don't see it, technically it doesn't exist in your world. But that's not true. It does exist, and people need to see it for what it is. … 'Breaking Bad' showed a normal family. It wasn’t a family with some disabled kid, but a normal family. Well, apart from the meth making."
Mitte went on to say that everyone has a disability in their own way. We all have challenges or battles to fight that we have to overcome. Sometimes they'll engulf us, but if we're able to move past them and move forward, we can do anything we want.
Mitte said it's important to show these real-life scenarios on television and to show characters as real people He said it's necessary for television to focus on who these people really are and to go beyond whatever disability they may have.
"When it comes down to it, it's important to show actuality on television. And that's what 'Breaking Bad' did," he said. "You saw a man that would do anything to provide for his family. You didn't see a man taking care of his disabled son. And you saw a teenager, not someone with a disability. And that's what you've got to show people. It's not focused on the crutches, it's not focused on the wheelchair, it's not focused on the disability. It's focused on the story and who these people are and what they're capable of. That's what we need to show more of in film and television."
"This or That" with R.J. Mitte
GC: Homemade or Eggo waffles?
RM: Homemade.
GC: Boxers or briefs?
RM: Jock shorts.
GC: A fight of the Jimmy's: Kimmel or Falon?
RM: Oh, man. Really? Um... Jimmy Kimmel.
GC: Coke or Pepsi?
RM: Aren't they the same thing? (laughs) No. Um... Coke.
GC: Captain America, Thor, or Starlord?
RM: Captain America all the way.
GC: Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?
RM: I'd definitely rather be able to fly.
GC: Marvel or DC?
RM: Oh, man! That's evil! That's just mean! Really? Geez. DC for books but Marvel for television (and film).
GC: Netlix or Hulu? (For watching "Breaking Bad," obviously).
RM: Netflix.
GC: And finally, Cap'n Cook or Heisenberg?
RM: Definitely Heisenberg.
Despite overwhelming odds, R.J. Mitte made no effort to hide that he is a fighter, and spent the hour discussing his upbringing, the obstacles he overcame, and even those he has yet to overcome. Interwoven through the bulk of his performance was the inspirational message he set out to convey to the viewers: that no person, place or thing should ever hold anyone back from doing what he or she loves, and that one cannot spend his or her life waiting to live.
“It’s the hardest thing to be the first one,” Mitte said, regarding both the difficulty and importance of standing up and making a change when something feels wrong or someone is in need, but his message echoed the phrase “if you build it, they will come,” spoken from the 1989 classic, Field of Dreams, meaning that if one breaks the ice and steps up to the challenge, others will unite and follow behind them.
On a closing remark, Mitte once again dared the audience to dream; reminding them that “a leader shows people and guides them out of that corner, letting them be who they want to be... you are completely able to take a bad hand and turn it into a flush… I created my own world, and you have the ability to do the same thing.”
R.J. Mitte echoed through the hearts and minds of the hundreds in attendance, his wise words of overcoming adversity and conquering one’s fears helped remind the students that, although the job market and economy we are jumping into may have seen better days, it’s never about the size of the dog in the fight.
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