RJ Mitte on disability and self-belief, in his own words

Growing up with cerebral palsy, RJ Mitte always had a voice in his ear backing him when others said he could not do something.

"This was a lesson I learnt from my grandad, who was a marine … I was never allowed to say the words 'no', 'can't', 'won't' — it was always 'yes, yes sir!'," he wrote in a 2014 personal essay.

"So whenever I heard people tell me I'd never walk or talk properly, I would always hear his voice, telling me 'you can and you will'."

It was this self-belief that propelled Mitte, at 13 years old, to get through five auditions and land a role on a new series called Breaking Bad.

The neo-Western drama, about a chemistry-teacher-turned-meth-cook who's dying of cancer, would go on to become one of the most critically acclaimed TV series of all time.

And the boy once bullied for his differences shot to global fame for his portrayal of Walter White's son, who acted as a moral compass next to his father's descent into Albuquerque's dark underbelly.

Mitte died by suicide this week at 34 years old, after a short but trailblazing career as an actor and model who regularly used his platform to speak about disability and overcoming adversity.

Emily Dash, an actor, writer and disability advocate who lives with cerebral palsy, said Mitte's role on Breaking Bad was "groundbreaking".

"I know on sort of a firsthand level from hearing him speak and interacting with him how passionate he was," she told the ABC's PM of their meeting in 2015.

"Seeing disability on a show like that, that is so famous and so successful, shows that disability is just like any other part of society.

"[It] shows actors with disability can take on very challenging and demanding roles and do them well."

That sentiment is shared by the show's creator, Vince Gilligan, who told The New York Times "we couldn't have picked a better young man to play that role".

"He was fun and kind and he had a big heart," Gilligan said in a statement.

"He had an ever-present, crooked grin. In my mind's eye, I never picture him without it. 

"I always picture him as happy. I'll continue doing that.

"Our crew is devastated. We all watched RJ grow up together, and we were proud of him."

Brian Cranston, Mitte's on-screen dad in Breaking Bad, said the young actor never let his disability hold him back.

"He never — ever — allowed that challenge to be an excuse for anything. He met the demanding shooting schedule head on with great determination," he wrote on social media.

"All that promise and potential now is such a loss."

How RJ Mitte kept pushing forward

Breaking Bad's enduring success meant Mitte would probably always be better known as Walter White Jr, but he never rested on his laurels.

"Fame is fickle and weak and it has really no body to it unless you give it body, unless you give it a soul, unless you are using it for something," he said in a 2015 interview with the ABC's 7.30 program.

"You base a career off of your worth ethic and what you bring … what you are giving back.

Mitte came to Australia in October 2015 as part of his advocacy work, visiting not just the capital cities but regional areas to talk about living with cerebral palsy and mental health.

By then he had a number of other credits and awards under his belt, while his modelling career was running in parallel with his on-screen work.

At the time, Mitte also spoke candidly about the struggle actors with disability face between taking on roles that represent them and being stereotyped.

"I find a lot of people always ask, 'are you afraid of being stereotyped?' And yes you do get stereotyped," he said.

"I accept the roles that I believe can affect change of the mindset of what [people with disability] are able to do."

Mitte also believed it was important for able-bodied actors to learn how to play diverse characters.

"I think it's an amazing opportunity for that actor to be someone and see something they won't normally get to be a part of," he said.

"If you're going to do a disabled character, you have to study, you have to learn that character and you have to understand the pain."

Aaron Paul, who played Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad, told the Hollywood Reporter he was heartbroken over the news of his death.

"RJ, I love you my friend. You will be missed," he said.

"And to whoever happens to be reading this, please know you are loved, and you are not alone. Always remember that."