Bryan Cranston has spoken to press in person for the first time since the death of his former co-star RJ Mitte.
Cranston, 69, addressed reporters on Thursday, expanding on the grief he had first shared in an Instagram post earlier this month. The two actors had remained close since their five-season run together on AMC’s Breaking Bad, where Mitte played Walter White Jr., the son of Cranston’s meth-cooking antihero.
“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,” Cranston wrote on Instagram after Mitte’s death. The post marked his initial public statement on the loss, where he described himself as being in “deep despair.”
The veteran actor revealed that he and Mitte, 34, had been actively trying to schedule a reunion in the weeks before Mitte’s death. Their text exchanges centered on finding a window when both could meet for lunch, with Cranston traveling between New York and Los Angeles while Mitte was based in Texas.
“We were texting each other just a few weeks ago—figuring out when we could meet for lunch,” Cranston wrote on Instagram. “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.”
Speaking to the BBC on Thursday, Cranston voiced the unresolved questions that have haunted him since learning of Mitte’s death. “It’s a shame. It threw me for a loop for several days, I didn’t understand it,” he said. “He and I were trying to find where we were. I was in New York, he was in Texas, and I was coming to LA.”
Cranston continued: “We were trying to figure out [when to meet] and I just wonder if he wanted to talk to me about something.”
The actor used his platform to direct attention toward mental health resources, framing his personal loss as a broader call to action. “34-years-old. I want to say if you feel depression, it’s a real thing,” he said. “You’re not alone, and there’s help to guide you.”
Mitte’s representatives confirmed to industry outlets that the actor died on October 12. They later specified that the cause was suicide. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte,” his reps said in a statement.
Cranston’s social media tribute had also highlighted Mitte’s advocacy work and professional growth over their years together. Born with cerebral palsy, Mitte became one of the most visible disabled actors in television during Breaking Bad’s 2008-2013 run. Cranston noted that Mitte “never – ever – allowed that challenge to be an excuse for anything” and met the show’s demanding production schedule “with great determination.”
“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,” Cranston wrote. He added that Mitte leveraged his platform to become “a vocal advocate for performers with disabilities,” eventually heading a philanthropic organization focused on the disabled community.
Cranston’s in-person remarks on Thursday came nearly two weeks after his initial Instagram post, representing his first face-to-face comments to media about a loss that has resonated deeply with fans of the acclaimed drama. The show’s ensemble cast has largely remained tight-knit in the years since its finale, with Cranston and Mitte maintaining their connection well beyond the series’ conclusion.
Mitte’s death at 34 cut short a career that had expanded beyond acting into activism and production, building on the visibility Breaking Bad had provided him as a teenager. Cranston’s reflection on their final attempted meeting underscored the suddenness of the loss and the lingering uncertainty about what might have been discussed.
“All that promise and potential now is such a loss,” Cranston wrote in his Instagram tribute.
Cranston is scheduled to continue promotional duties for his upcoming projects in Los Angeles.