RJ Mitte Spent Years Messaging Friend About Industry Struggles as Disabled Actor

RJ Mitte struggled with getting cast as a disabled actor in Hollywood ... at least according to years of text messages he exchanged with a friend.

According to messages obtained by Daily Mail, RJ often griped to his friend about the challenges he faced in the industry, particularly when it came to the representation of disabled actors.

In a message from April 7, 2017, he wrote ... "When I go for a part, they sometimes tell me that it's not a character with a disability, and I'm like why can't the character be disabled?"

He added ... "They get real uncomfortable when I say that."

In another message from April 2017, RJ talked about how he was having a tough time with casting, despite his "Breaking Bad" success.

He wrote ... "I can do any role, but some of [the casting agents and directors] are a**holes who won't even look at me."

RJ expressed in a follow-up message that he wanted to put those agents and directors on blast, but ultimately decided against it.

That December, RJ revealed he'd been working on a TV pilot that ended up going nowhere, describing the business as "brutal."

In February 2019, RJ told his friend he worked on a film in Australia, but explained that doing too many international projects can mess with his health care.

He wrote ... "I hope I can find stuff here. I would like to work enough to keep my [health] insurance. Pain in the ass lol."

After COVID shut everything down in 2020, RJ told his friend he needed to "figure out more work," saying ... "I just need to remind people to book me."

In March 2021, he mentioned how the pandemic made the casting hurdle for disabled actors even higher, writing ... "Gotta convince people that I'm not going to die of Covid."

RJ added ... "There's a backlash about people with disabilities, they think that we can't be insured or that we are going to die in the middle of a scene, its bulls***."

In April 2022, he told his friend he was doing his own writing because he'd been "getting a lot of scripts where I would be a prop and they don't want to give any depth, 3 lines if that."

Later that year, RJ claimed he'd only been doing animation because "no one wants me on screen" ... calling the setback "annoying as f***."

In July 2025, he told his friend he was considering turning to reality TV -- specifically "Dancing with the Stars" to show audiences what people with cerebral palsy can do.

But RJ still had standards when it came to possible reality TV appearances, adding ... "But I would have to make sure that any reality would be dignity, I don't want to be laughed at, but would consider something that could give me a platform."

The "Breaking Bad" star has been a longtime advocate for disabled actors in Hollywood. The last time we saw him, he called on the industry to have more representation for disabled actors.

We broke the story ... RJ died Monday in Texas at just 34 years old. We're told he died by suicide.