Walter Hartwell White Jr. (also known as Flynn) is a fictional character in the crime drama series ''
Breaking Bad
''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...
''. Played by
RJ Mitte
Roy Frank "RJ" Mitte III (; born August 21, 1992) is an American actor, best known for playing Walter "Flynn" White Jr. on the AMC series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013). Like his character on the show, he has cerebral palsy. After moving to H ...
, Walt Jr. is the son of protagonist
Walter White and his wife
Skyler
The name Skyler or Skylar () is an Anglicized spelling of the surname and given name ''Schuyler''.
''Schuyler'' was introduced into America as a surname by 17th century Dutch settlers arriving in New York. By the 19th century, in honor of members ...
. He has
cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...
, as manifested in speech difficulties and impaired motor control, for which he uses crutches. His younger sister is
Holly White.
Character biography
Season 1
Walter Hartwell White Jr. is the teenage son of chemistry teacher
Walter White Sr. and writer
Skyler White
Skyler White ( née Lambert) is a fictional character in '' Breaking Bad'', portrayed by Anna Gunn. For her performance, Gunn received critical acclaim, with some critics even lauding her character as the template for television anti-heroines. ...
, and has cerebral palsy. When Skyler tells her sister
Marie Schrader
Marie Schrader (''née'' Lambert) is a fictional character in the AMC series '' Breaking Bad'' and its spin-off series ''Better Call Saul.'' Portrayed by Betsy Brandt, she is Skyler White's sister, Hank's wife, and Walter White's sister-in-l ...
that she is working on a new short story with a
stoner character in it, she asks her about marijuana. Marie assumes that Skyler thinks Jr. is smoking pot, but Skyler insists that she was just talking about her story. Marie asks her husband
Hank, a
DEA
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic enf ...
agent, to scare Jr. straight, leading him to Jr. to a motel to show how meth has
corroded the teeth of
a prostitute. After Walt reveals to Hank, Marie, and Jr. that he has cancer, a fact he already shared with Skyler before, Jr. berates him for acting weird and nonchalant about his cancer. He also becomes upset at his father's decision of not choosing
chemotherapy
Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...
. Over the weekend, Jr. and two friends are waiting outside a convenience store, waiting for somebody to buy them beer. The friends run away when Jr. approaches an off-duty cop. The cop tells him he got his "first and last warning." At an intervention held by Skyler for Walt, Hank, Jr., and Marie argue over what to do. While Skyler and Jr. want him to take the treatment, Marie, and later Hank, feel Walt should be given the choice to decline the treatment if he wants; Walt ends the intervention by saying he will not do the treatment.
Season 2
Jr. and Skyler are disturbed when Walt cheerily makes breakfast despite his condition. Hoping to reconnect with his son, Walt offers to give Jr. a driving lesson while Skyler is out. Jr. shows his skill at driving, but Walt notices that he is using both feet to work the pedals. When Walt tries to get him to only use the right foot, Jr. gets upset and accidentally hits a safety cone. Around this time, Jr. adopts a new alias: "Flynn". Jr. later creates a website so that people can donate to his father's cancer surgery, unaware that Walt lives a double life as
meth kingpin Heisenberg and has enough money which he does not want to reveal to his family. Walt's lawyer
Saul Goodman arranges for a wave of fictional "donations" drawn from Walt's drug money, in order to launder it and also make Jr.'s efforts appear successful. Jr.'s website gains media attention due to its apparent success; Walt is uncomfortable in the spotlight.
Season 3
Skyler and Walt separate. Jr., given no explanation by either parent, assumes that Skyler has inexplicably thrown his terminally ill father out of the house, and he takes his father's side. He later experiences severe difficulty understanding why his mother (who already knows about Walt's double life) refuses to let Walt back in, eventually snapping at her over dinner. Jr. goes to visit his father, who also does not tell him the truth, eventually calling Skyler about his whereabouts. Walt takes his son home, where he tries to appease Skyler with pizza, to no avail. After Walt moves back into the house and tells Skyler he has no intention of leaving, Jr. is thrilled that his father is back, while Skyler's attempt to have Walt thrown out fails.
Season 4
When Jr. tells his father that Skyler already set the date for Walt to move back in, he is unnerved. Walt tells his son he is not moving back home and buys a flashy new
Dodge Challenger
The Dodge Challenger is the name of three different generations of automobiles (two of those being pony cars) produced by American automobile manufacturer Dodge. However, the first use of the Challenger name by Dodge was in 1959 for marketing a ...
car for him, but when Skyler comes back she demands Walt return it, lest he blow his cover. Rather than return Jr.'s car, Walt takes it on a joyride, crashes it, and blows it up. On Jr.'s birthday, Walt never arrives to help Skyler present his birthday gift, a
Chrysler PT Cruiser which he is less than excited about. Concerned about his father, Jr. pays him a visit, only to find him bloodied and on painkillers and alcohol. Concealing his fight with
Jesse Pinkman
Jesse Bruce Pinkman is a main character in the American television series '' Breaking Bad'', played by Aaron Paul. He is a crystal meth cook and dealer and works with his former high school chemistry teacher, Walter White (Bryan Cranston). Jess ...
, Walt blames it on gambling; he tearfully apologizes but later accidentally calls Jr. "Jesse" before drifting off to sleep. The next morning, Walt finds Jr. on his couch and apologizes for his drugged state, saying he does not want to be remembered that way after he is gone. However, Jr. seems to be more satisfied with his father's apparent truthfulness than with his double life for the past year.
Gus Fring
Gustavo "Gus" Fring is a fictional character portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito in the crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' and its prequel ''Better Call Saul''. He is a Chilean-American businessman and major narcotics distributor in the Southwester ...
, for whom Walt works, takes him to the desert and fires him, informing him that Hank will be killed and that Walt's entire family, including Jr., will be murdered if he interferes. Skyler, Jr. and his sister
Holly go under DEA protection at Hank and Marie's home. Jr. later watches a news report about Fring's death, unaware that his father caused it.
Season 5
After Skyler, Jr., and Holly return home, Jr. explains that Fring's illicit activities are the subject of a media frenzy and that the DEA believes the danger against Hank and Marie Schrader has abated. Walt and Jr. retrieve Walt's
Pontiac Aztek
The Pontiac Aztek is a mid-size crossover SUV marketed by General Motors from model years 2001 until 2005, along with a rebadged variant, the Buick Rendezvous.
As a 5-door crossover with a front engine with front-wheel drive and optional all-whee ...
from an auto repair shop. Walt impulsively sells the Aztek to the mechanic for $50, leases a new Chrysler 300 for himself, and later leases a new Dodge Challenger for Jr. Jr. remains oblivious to his father's criminal activities until Marie (who already knows, along with Hank, and is confident that Walt is in Hank's custody) forces Skyler to reveal the whole truth to her son. Upon learning of his father's connection with Hank's death, Jr. mistakenly concludes that he killed Hank. Feeling betrayed, Jr. calls
9-1-1
, usually written 911, is an emergency telephone number for the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Palau, Argentina, Philippines, Jordan, as well as the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), one of eight N11 codes. Like other emergency nu ...
when Walt fends off Skyler's knife attack, forcing Walt to leave and eventually end up on the
most wanted list. Months later, Walt learns that Skyler and Jr. have left their house for a small apartment. He telephones Jr. and says that he is going to send money to Jr.'s friend Louis, who should give it to Jr., who should give it to Skyler. However, an enraged Jr. refuses, tells his father to hurry up and die, then hangs up. Walt coerces
Gretchen and Elliott Schwartz
'' Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series '' Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its ...
to place his remaining $9.72 million in a trust for Jr. The next day, after visiting Skyler for the final time, before leaving Walt solemnly watches from afar as Jr. arrives home from school, accepting the fact that he wants nothing more to do with his father.
Concept and creation
Walt Jr. is portrayed by RJ Mitte and is the son of protagonist Walter White and his wife Skyler. When asked why so much of the character's screen time is shown in scenes eating breakfast, creator
Vince Gilligan
George Vincent Gilligan Jr. (born February 10, 1967) is an American writer, producer, and director. He is known for his television work, specifically as creator, head writer, executive producer, and director of AMC's ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2 ...
commented that his "love of breakfast indeed seems to know no bounds". Walt Jr.'s Flynn alias was derived from actor
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...
. Mitte said the character is much like his real self since they are roughly the same age, have the same type of attitude, and "mostly like to be treated the same way". Like the character, Mitte too has cerebral palsy, but a milder variation, and does not use crutches. He stated he had to regress from his therapy to portray the character, staying up late into the night to slur his speech and learning to walk on crutches so his walking would not look fake. He drew inspiration from people having cerebral palsy he knew from
Shriners Hospital, Shreveport, and named the fictional character
Forrest Gump
''Forrest Gump'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth. It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson and ...
as his "representation". The website that Walt Jr. creates to collect donations for his father's cancer treatment also exists as a real website, and as of 2013 the donations made to this website were directed to the National Cancer Coalition. Gilligan had plans for Walt Jr. to be killed off early in the series, much like
Jesse Pinkman
Jesse Bruce Pinkman is a main character in the American television series '' Breaking Bad'', played by Aaron Paul. He is a crystal meth cook and dealer and works with his former high school chemistry teacher, Walter White (Bryan Cranston). Jess ...
. Mitte even said that he himself wanted the character to be "bludgeoned and beaten to death". When conceiving the story for ''
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'', Gilligan considered including Walt Jr., feeling that his inclusion would have been great, but ultimately desisted from the idea due to his feelings that the film should focus only in the most important characters in Jesse's life, which Walt Jr. was not.
Reception
At the 2013 Media Access Awards, Mitte received the SAG-AFTRA
Harold Russell
Harold John Avery Russell (January 14, 1914 – January 29, 2002) was an American World War II veteran. After losing his hands during his military service, Russell was cast in the epic drama film ''The Best Years of Our Lives'' (1946), which e ...
Award for his portrayal of Walter White Jr. in the series.
Other appearances
Mitte voiced Walt Jr. in an episode of ''
Robot Chicken
''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animated stop motion sketch comedy television series, created and executive produced for Adult Swim by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. The writers, ...
'' titled "Food" where he comedically raps about his character's supposed love of breakfast.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Walter Jr.
American male characters in television
Breaking Bad characters
Fictional characters from New Mexico
Fictional characters with disabilities
Fictional characters with neurotrauma
Teenage characters in television
Television characters introduced in 2008