emirates man
apr/may 2015
| FEATURE | RJ MITTE
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Mitte could pass for a young, clean-shaven David Gandy, or perhaps a pre-cape Superman. And not one to waste time, RJ squeezed in a handful of UK fashion shoots both before and after we met, the most notable of which in an east London café that exclusively serves breakfast cereal. Walt Jr would be proud. One thing RJ is unable to offer is the inside track
Breaking Bad spinoff Better Call Saul, for no other rea- son than he knows as much as we do. Set some six years before its predecessor, Mitte’s character Walter Jr would be all of about seven or eight years old, which all but rules out a future cameo (unless Vince Gilligan decides to jump forward in time, that is). The welcome change for RJ, however, is that as he’s not in it – he’s free to enjoy the show. And does he? “I do watch it. I get it on my Netflix,” he says, em-
phatically. “I’m so happy that Bob Odenkirk [Saul Goodman] got this show, and I don’t think many people can give the performance Bob gives, or Jonathan Banks [Mike Ehrmantraut]. And what’s really cool is that it’s basically the same crew as Breaking Bad.” With such enviable work ethic and mature head on
his shoulders, it’s quite easy to forget that RJ Mitte has a disability. His cerebral palsy is admittedly less pro- nounced than in Breaking Bad (Mitte is able to walk without crutches and his speaking voice is clearer than Walt Jr’s), yet it’s RJ’s tireless dedication to his craft that proves he’s not merely capable but more proficient than most able-bodied performers in his field. This dates back to his childhood, whereby RJ’s marine grandfather in- stilled a mentality where – CP or not – there was no such word as ‘can’t’. It’s the same reason why, when vicious bullies pushed him around during his school years, Mitte would get straight back up defend himself. RJ Mitte is determined not to let his disability define him, although its role in making him the strong, diligent individual he is today is without question. As if all this wasn’t quite enough, another fundamen-
tal part of RJ’s workload is activism for a raft of chari- ties. This includes ambassadorial roles for United Cer- ebral Palsy and Shriners Hospital For Children, Screen Actors Guild’s spokesman for actors with disabilities and a seat on the board of The Mitte Foundation – a Texas non-profit founded by his grandfather that awards schol- arships to students in Texas. Much unlike some stars who could be accused of popping up on charity campaigns as thinly veiled tactic to promote their own career, these causes are clearly close to RJ’s heart. While in the UK he has been working with charity Scope, spearheading a campaign to challenge misconceptions around disabili- ties and promote greater understanding. The day after our interview RJ addressed Oxford University on the is- sue, and it’s when talking about this issue that Mitte be- comes most animated. “I’m trying to change a mind-set about how people
see disability,” he admits. “Everyone in their own way is disabled. Everyone has challenges, and that’s what a dis- ability is – it’s a challenge, it’s an obstacle to overcome.
“IF YOU SAY, ‘I’M FINE, I’M NORMAL,’ THEN YOU REALLY HAVE SOME ISSUES, MAN”
Yes it may be physical or mental, but it is a challenge nonetheless, and people look at them differently but it’s actually the same thing. “Your family, your friends, your environment – what
you do and what you say can be a disability in itself. Peo- ple say, ‘I’m fine, I’m normal.’ No, no one in this world is normal. If you say you’re normal, then that just proves you’ve really got some issues, man.”
S
omething that has brought disabilities firmly into mainstream thinking lately is Eddie Redmayne’s Academy Award- winning portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. Although a mesmerising, transcendent perfor- mance it undoubtedly was, the decision to cast Redmayne – an able-bodied ac-
tor – without even auditioning disabled actors for the role caused quite a stir. In reality, casting a perform- er with the same motor neurone disease that afflicts Professor Hawking would’ve been nigh on impossible, given the film covers several decades and the charac- ter’s descent from able-bodied to wheelchair bound, yet the argument of equal opportunities for disabled actors remains, with some going so far as branding the use of able-bodied actors “the modern day equivalent of blacking up”. At the height of the debate RJ Mitte discussed the issue on BBC’s Newsnight programme, although he admitted he’d not yet seen the film. And now?
“I know I’ll never win an Oscar for playing a disa-
bled character, as I actually have a disability. They’ll say, ‘Oh, he’s cheating,’” he laughs. “It shouldn’t mat- ter about the disability, that shouldn’t be the story. But I do believe actors with disabilities should get more of a chance.” After stepping away from the Breaking Bad breakfast ta- ble, RJ Mitte made it clear he doesn’t see his future as Hollywood’s go-to actor for disabled roles. Characters
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