Anna Gunn feels 'lucky' to have played RJ Mitte's mom on 'Breaking Bad'

Breaking Bad star Anna Gunn is mourning her “beloved TV son” RJ Mitte after his tragic death.

The Emmy-winning actress, 58, paid tribute to her former co-star in a statement issued to multiple outlets on Wednesday, October 14 — two days after Mitte passed away due to suicide at age 34.

“I’ll never forget meeting RJ when he was only 14 years old. I was immediately struck by the depth and complexity of someone so young,” she recalled, describing him as a “gentle and bold, exceedingly kind, and wickedly funny” person who was “a bit rebellious (like any teenager) yet eager to learn and hone his craft” as an actor.

READ MORE: RJ Mitte breaks down climactic 'Breaking Bad' fight scene

Mitte portrayed Walter Jr. AKA Flynn White — the teenage son of Anna Gunn’s Skyler White and Bryan Cranston’s Walter White — on the hit AMC series. Like his character, Mitte was also born with cerebral palsy.

But, according to Gunn, Mitte was “doggedly determined that his disability would not impede him, but would instead give him the opportunity to enlighten and educate others through his nakedly truthful portrayal of Walt ‘Flynn’ Jr.”

Gunn said she considered herself “lucky” to play Mitte’s TV mom and watch him grow not only as an actor but also as a fierce advocate for disabled representation in Hollywood beyond the show’s five seasons. “I was so proud of him; we all were,” she emphasised.

Gunn continued, “There are truly no words to express the heartbreak of a loss this profound, the loss of a beautiful young man who had such an impact upon this world, with still so much ahead of him. What I choose to remember and cherish today are the quiet, personal moments I shared with my beloved TV son. Moments of mutual support and understanding, of belly-aching laughter and silliness, of care and deep love. You live in my heart forever, my dearest RJ.” 

Other Breaking Bad stars have also paid tribute to Mitte, including Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Dean Norris, and Giancarlo Espacito. 

READ MORE: Bryan Cranston reveals he made plans with RJ Mitte weeks before his death