Contact: Sasha Steinberg
Photo by: Keats Haupt
STARKVILLE, Miss.--"Don't let fear rule you" was the basic advice R.J. Mitte gave Mississippi State students and others Tuesday night [Nov. 18].
His campus presentation was sponsored by the university's Center for Student Activities.
"Everyone has a choice; you can choose to let people manipulate you and instill fear in you, or you can take that fear and use it to your advantage, use it to grow, use it to make your life better and make a difference in other people's lives," said the character actor who rose to fame playing "Walt White Jr." in the critically acclaimed AMC drama, "Breaking Bad."
Like his former character, Mitte has cerebral palsy, though in a much milder form. A 22-year old Lafayette, Louisiana, native, he was named the United Cerebral Palsy Celebrity Youth Ambassador in 2011.
"I never thought I was different from anyone else until I went to school wearing my casts and braces and someone told me how different I was," Mitte said of the physical challenge with which he was diagnosed at age three. "I had so many times where people were telling me that I would never be able to walk or talk properly, but I adapted and I took control over that (my situation)."
Mitte also is a youth spokesperson for the National Disability Institute's Real Economic Impact Tour, its "Beyond Diversity--the future is now" campaign and the "I AM PWD" movement that advocates for actors with disabilities, among other organizations.
"When I first started in the film industry, 2 percent of actors on television and in film had a disability," he noted, adding "Now, that number is up to 4 percent, and is continuing to grow."
Viewers--especially those with access to social media--have the ability to impact television with what they say and do online, but they must always do so with caution, he emphasized to the large audience in Lee Hall's Bettersworth Auditorium.
"You have to be careful with what you say and what you do on social media because that will be the new résumé of the future, and people will use what you post against you if you don't protect yourself," Mitte said.
"When you graduate and you're going to apply for a job, you don't want your Twitter, Instagram or whatever else you use to take you out (of the running for) that job," he continued. "You have to be able to go out and show people who you truly are, but at the same time, don't show them too much."
Mitte, who was bullied as a child, said he also enjoys working with PACER's National Center for Bullying Prevention, a nationwide campaign that seeks to engage and educate bystanders watching bullying behavior.
"Bullies are trying to take a piece of who you are," he said. "Predators like to prey on what they think is weakness, but when that weakness shows strength, the predator backs away because it doesn't want to fight that. When you stand up to bullies and show them that you are not prey, you can grow and show people what you're capable of."
"Don't be afraid to make that stance," he said.
In urging students to embrace challenges and achieve their goals, Mitte stressed the importance of using fear and self-doubt as "fuel" for personal productivity.
"Everyone has their challenges and tribulations that they have to go through, and playing Walt Jr. on Breaking Bad was a very nice reminder of everything that I have had to overcome," he said.
"You have the ability to do exactly what I do and go where I go and see what I see, but you have to take yourself out of a realm of comfort. You have to protect yourself and overcome the obstacles that people will lay in front of you.
"It's not easy, but if you do that, you can achieve anything," Mitte said.
For information about Mississippi's flagship research university, visit www.msstate.edu.