Tacoma Community College announcement.
Actor RJ Mitte from the hit show Breaking Bad will be on the TCC campus on May 17 as part of Access Services’ Disability and Intersectionality Speaker Series. Everyone is invited to attend, free of charge, in the Building 2 Theater or online.
Schedule
- 11:10 a.m.-12:50 p.m.: Screening of “Standing up for Sunny”
- 1:00-2:30 p.m.: Keynote Speech and Q&A
- 3:00-3:30 p.m.: Meet & Greet
About the Event
RJ Mitte is best known for playing Walt Jr. on the Emmy-winning AMC drama “Breaking Bad” – like his character on the show, he also battles with cerebral palsy. In addition to that star-making role, RJ has appeared on the big and small screen, captivating audiences on Showtime’s Weeds, NBC’s Vegas, Freeform’s Switched at Birth and CW’s Everybody Hates Chris. Throughout his rise to fame, his cerebral palsy has never deterred his drive to succeed or stopped him from doing what he loves.
With the mission of removing the stigma associated with disability, RJ has become a passionate activist, serving as celebrity youth ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and several other causes. On stage, RJ draws from his experiences on and off camera to engage students in important discussion about diversity and acceptance. As he talks about his strategies for overcoming adversity, including being bullied, he demonstrates how through hard work and determination you can boldly and triumphantly set and achieve any goal.
In his talk, RJ explores the importance of ensuring that on-screen and off-screen environments accurately represent how our world looks, inclusive of those of all abilities. As the conversations around diversity becomes more prevalent in the way casting is handled, RJ discusses how the media industry can grow to be more inclusive, and what the areas of opportunity are. The significance of people of all abilities seeing themselves represented on screen and in behind-the-scenes entertainment industry careers is so important, so sharing his ideas on what it will take for more authentic on-screen portrayals of cognitive, speech, developmental, and mobility disabilities has become even more necessary today.
