Bryan Cranston has paid an emotional tribute to RJ Mitte, the actor who played his son in Breaking Bad, after Mitte’s death at the age of 34.
Cranston said the two had been texting only a few weeks ago, trying to set a date for lunch. He said he couldn’t know whether that meeting might have changed anything. What he did know, he said, was that he loved Mitte and had treasured their time together, both while making the series and in the years after its fame faded. He ended his message: “I’ll miss you, son.”
Mitte’s representative confirmed in a public statement that the actor was found dead on Monday. The Brownsville Police Department said it received a call at 12.50pm that day and found him dead at his home.
Cranston recalled first meeting Mitte when he was just 14, after he was cast as Walter White Jr. He described a young performer who brought joy and enthusiasm to the part. Mitte was born with cerebral palsy, and Cranston said he never once used it as an excuse. Instead he took on the show’s demanding filming schedule with real determination.
Looking back on the early days, Cranston said Mitte listened to the guidance of his on-screen parents, Cranston and Anna Gunn. Like any teenager, though, he sometimes ignored it on purpose and learned the hard way. He was one of the stars of a hit series, Cranston noted, but still a kid. When filming on the pilot began in February 2007, Mitte was raw. Over time, Cranston said, he grew into a really fine actor.
Cranston also highlighted how Mitte used the profile the show gave him to speak up for performers with disabilities. Mitte also led a charitable organisation focused on supporting the disabled community. Cranston said losing so much promise and potential was a heartbreaking loss.
His entire post:
’Im in deep despair as I write this tonight. 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. 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.
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.”
Mitte was 14 when he joined the cast of AMC’s Breaking Bad. Across the show’s five seasons, from 2008 to 2013, he appeared in 56 of its 62 episodes. Beyond the series, he had a recurring part as Campbell Bingman in the third season of ABC Family’s drama “Switched at Birth.” In 2022 he played the villain Mind Master in “The Guardians of Justice,” a superhero series on Netflix. In the period before his death, he had been out promoting his new film, “Talking to Strangers,” from director Johnny Severin.
Dean Norris, who played DEA agent Hank Schrader on Breaking Bad, also paid tribute on X on Monday. He said he had been at work when the news about Mitte reached him. Norris pointed out that although Mitte wasn’t cast as his on-screen son, he had always kept an eye on him on set when he was a young boy. He remembered Mitte as a sweet young man who would be deeply missed. Norris said he was struggling to believe the news and that his thoughts were with Mitte and his family. “I am heartbroken,” he wrote.
Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan, ran for five seasons from 2008 to 2013, and Mitte appeared in all of them. He played Walter White Jr, son of Walter White (Cranston) and Skyler White (Anna Gunn). Like his character, Mitte had cerebral palsy.