ORLANDO, Fla. – The actor behind Walter White Jr., or Flynn, in the TV series, “Breaking Bad” is returning to Central Florida on Saturday.
He’ll be hosting United Cerebral Palsy of Central Florida’s 31st annual charity gala with Cheryl Hines and Rachael Harris.
Mitte has cerebral palsy himself, and has been a strong supporter of the organization for many years.
He was first diagnosed with it at the age of 3, but that never stopped his acting career.
Mitte has appeared in many TV shows along with the Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning “Breaking Bad,” including “Weeds,” “Everybody Hates Chris’' and “Switched at Birth.”
As Walt Jr., Mitte starred alongside Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn and Aaron Paul, watching his father’s descent into the drug manufacturing business.
Walt Jr. also had cerebral palsy, but Mitte had to learn how to walk on crutches and slur his speech to create a more dramatic version of his own disability.
“I’m very lucky that I’m part of a community that there’s not just hundreds of us, but thousands of us that are all trying to achieve the same goal and that’s better quality work, that’s the opportunity to even get the job, and that’s providing understanding and new ways to see people with disabilities that most people don’t get the opportunity to see,” Mitte said.
Since his life-changing role in “Breaking Bad,” he’s also appeared in many indie films and most recently starred in the movie “Triumph,” which is available on digital platforms.
The movie also stars Terrance Howard, Johnathon Schech, Colton Haynes, Grace Victoria Cox, Allee Sutton Hethcoat and more.
“Triumph” is based in the 80s, and Mitte plays the main character, Mike. Despite his challenges with cerebral palsy, he sets his sights on joining the high school wrestling team and finds support from his coach, a loyal best friend and his dad.
Mitte talked about how important it is to have representation of people with disabilities in the media.
“I find a lot of people with disabilities don’t get out much. And so, being able to bring people out and being seen in the public. 90% of what I see in the industry is exposure and if you’ve never been exposed to someone with a disability, you’ve never talked to someone with a disability, your likelihood of understanding individuals with disabilities isn’t very high,” Mitte explained.
The film will be donating a portion of the proceeds to UCP of Central Florida and UCPA National.
The annual charity gala starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Caribe Royale Orlando.
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