An actor from Breaking Bad has opened up about the less glamorous side of fame.
RJ Mitte, known for his role as Walter White Jr. on the acclaimed TV series alongside Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston, shared his insights.
Throughout the series, which aired from 2008 to 2013, Mitte portrayed the teenage son of the meth-dealing Walter White, played by Cranston. He began filming at the age of 14.
Now an adult, Mitte has offered a candid look at his experiences as a child actor in Hollywood, cautioning others about the industry’s challenges.
In a recent appearance on The Iced Coffee Hour podcast, Mitte discussed his Hollywood journey.
Sadly, the 33-year-old actor faced two significant hurdles during his career, using them as lessons to help others avoid similar pitfalls.
During the podcast, Mitte was questioned about his experiences as a young actor, handling finances, and the precautions required for managing money.
It was then that Mitte revealed how he was ‘scammed’ as a teenager, causing significant trouble for him.
He stated, “Everyone’s kind of pushing me to make sure that I have a proper accountant, dude. I got eaten.”
Mitte recounted that at ‘around 17′ in 2011, he had enlisted a female accountant who managed ’14 other actors’.
“I was like one of this big group that she was targeting, primarily people with disabilities, elderly, older actors in the industry,” he said.
Apparently, she was employed at the sheriff’s department and operated her office in the same building.
Despite being in a law enforcement environment, she allegedly stole from Mitte.
He explained, “She was just siphoning. She was siphoning funds, like, literally I would write a check to go pay my taxes and instead of her using it to pay my taxes, she would send me a fake filing of taxes and take that money.”
Even though she allegedly took funds from him, Mitte acknowledged that it was his responsibility to safeguard his assets, which means the woman remains unpunished.
When discussing finances, Mitte mentioned widespread corruption in Hollywood, highlighting how money can alter people’s behavior.
Describing money as a ‘tool’, he emphasized ‘it’s sadly a necessity in life’ that we require to ‘survive’.
However, issues arise when priorities shift.
Mitte remarked, “What someone is willing to do for the right number never ceases to amaze me, and people will sacrifice who they are for money, for clout, for whatever.”
He added, “When you have someone that desperately needs it, that’s willing to do anything, that’s where you get into a very dangerous scenario of power and, you know, what that person is willing to give up; who they are willing to be to get that power.”
Mitte observed that this is evident on social media, where individuals ‘hurt themselves sometimes to get the sensationalism’, making it a ‘dangerous game’ to engage in.