R.J. Mitte in 'Breaking Bad' season four. Everett Collection RJ Mitte expressed hope of reprising his character from Breaking Bad in his final podcast interview.
The 34-year-old actor, who died by suicide on Monday, was on The Joe Vulpis Podcast earlier this month and discussed the series, in which he played Walter “Flynn” White Jr. across five seasons.
“I don’t think it was an end,” Mitte said of the AMC series, where he played the son of Bryan Cranston’s Walter “Heisenberg” White and Anna Gunn’s Skyler White. “I think it was really the end of Heisenberg’s journey, but I don’t think that was the end of Skyler and Walt and Holly’s journey. And you know I think there’s a lot of unanswered questions there, that for them will probably never be answered.”
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“So I think there’s still a big step for the White family,” Mitte continued. “There’s always more to be told. But you got to tell it right!”
That said, Mitte acknowledged that any sort of follow-up would have to clear quite a high bar, creatively speaking.
“I want to top Breaking Bad, that’s the hardest,” he said. “I set a bar for myself as a young man that is kinda unattainable. I tell people, I say, ‘Look, it’s a long way down from the top of the mountain.'”
Mitte, who was also a disability rights activist, was found dead in Brownsville, Texas.
His Breaking Bad castmates have expressed their grief at the news.
“I’m in deep despair as I write this tonight,” Cranston shared. “RJ Mitte, my sweet son on Breaking Bad has died. I met him when he was only 14 years old when he was cast as Walter White Jr., a part he played with such joy and enthusiasm. Born with Cerebral Palsy, he never – ever – allowed that challenge to be an excuse for anything. He met the demanding shooting schedule head on with great determination. Always listening to the advice that his TV parents (Anna Gunn and myself) gave him – but being a teenager, sometimes mischievously ignoring the counsel in order to learn the hard way… He was one of the stars of a hit TV show – but still a kid.”
He continued, “That kid was pretty raw when we started shooting the pilot in February of 2007, but little by little we watched him grow into a really fine actor. He parlayed his experience on the show to be a vocal advocate for performers with disabilities, and was the head of a philanthropic organization with a focus on helping the disabled community. All that promise and potential now is such a loss. It is especially devastating to hear that he took his own life. Why? We were texting each other just a few weeks ago – figuring out when we could meet for lunch. I don’t know if that lunch would have changed his future… But I do know that I loved him, and thoroughly enjoyed being with him throughout the years on the series, and after the spotlight on Breaking Bad dimmed… I’ll miss you, son.”
Aaron Paul, who played Jesse Pinkman, also wrote in a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter, “I am at a loss. I am heartbroken over this news. RJ, I love you my friend. You will be missed. And to whoever happens to be reading this, please know you are loved, and you are not alone. Always remember that.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or chat at 988lifeline.org.
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