Freddie Highmore aka Alfred Thomas Highmore broke onto our screens with his portrayal of Charlie Bucket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. Just 13 then, Freddie won audiences’ hearts across the globe with his endearing performance. This wasn’t his debut though, as we’d already seen him as Peter Llewelyn Davies in Finding Neverland (2004) and in Women Talking Dirty (1999) as a child actor. As the years passed, we were treated to several more brilliant performances from the actor like in August Rush and The Golden Compass in 2007, and in The Spiderwick Chronicle in 2008 and The Vault in 2021 — which he also produced.
Over the years, Freddie has played many roles in life too — he has written, produced and co-produced several movies and TV series and is also celebrated for his role as Norman Bates in Bates Motel, a psychological horror drama television series that was a contemporary prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film Psycho (2013 to 2017). His most celebrated role, however, continues to be Dr Shaun Murphy, the autistic protagonist of The Good Doctor (a medical drama television series based on the 2013 South Korean series of the same name) that began airing in 2017. Season 6 of the series just premiered and is being broadcasted on SonyLIV in India and simultaneously in the USA. We caught up with Freddie Highmore to talk more about the show, the need for an authentic representation of autism on screen and lots more.
What will the new season be like for Shaun Murphy’s character?
In Season 6, Shaun is already married and that raises the stakes, I think, a little bit for him in terms of wanting to have a family and how he can go about that. Shaun is also going to have to take charge, be a boss, tell people what to do; and try to communicate and teach people, and also be a mentor. When he was a resident and he made a mistake there was usually someone there to correct it or to help him see the right way, but when he’s the person who has the ultimate power or control over that decision, the stakes are just that much higher.
Why do you think the show got popular, globally?
I mean, in some ways I think you can’t really know for sure. You just get lucky, I think, for whatever reason and people responded to the character and to the show in general. I think, I’ve always felt like the show has been, despite the inevitable tragedies and traumas, a hopeful one and an optimistic one. And I think, in this moment of time — from when the show first released and all the way through COVID-19 and everything that’s happening today in the world — people have enjoyed coming to a space that reminds them — through Shaun’s point of view — that the world is inherently good.
In many ways you are actually working on two shows simultaneously — one on an autistic individual and the other being a doctor — isn’t that a lot of work?
I guess, I just feel very lucky. It’s funny you mention two shows, because I’ve always felt like that’s what the show is about — at least, from Shaun’s perspective. It is really about this guy who has autism and how he’s planning to navigate the world, navigate the hospital and grow as a person. But, when I look back I feel like, what’s really most meaningful isn’t the case of the week — it’s not whether someone’s going to live or die or be healed — it’s more about the way the characters are changed by the experience. So yes, in some ways it is two shows in one, but also, it’s a show that is about everything other than the medicine that’s happening.
Five seasons down, how close do you feel to Dr Shaun Murphy?
I guess, it depends on what you mean by close. I think, Shaun and I are very different people, but I definitely have affection for him. I think, it would be somewhat deluded on my part to call them close but he does feel familiar now. I think, what’s funny about doing this show in comparison to films that I’ve done or even Bates Motel is just the amount of time that you dedicate to it. I mean, we film nine months of the year and so it becomes the focus of your life and I think that’s partly what makes it meaningful as an experience.
Since you brought up Bates Motel, which was more challenging?
I think they’re very different. It’s hard to compare. I think each of them had their challenges that were ultimately exciting and rewarding. Shaun was, however, the bigger challenge and it’s not really for me to say whether we got it right or not, but representing autism was the responsibility that I felt quite strongly about even at the very beginning.
You’ve often been commended for your preparations for the role of an autistic person?
I know that we’ve all spoken about the preparations that I did initially in terms of autism and research and that the research was really required. I think, over time that research continues but you’re also more aware of how Shaun is as a character. It has been established and you’re on his individual journey and his individual storyline. And I think, while the research continues to be important, it’s also being aware of the fact that we’re just telling this one individual story and feeling free to embrace the idiosyncrasies that Shaun has and the way that he, unlike anyone else in the world, might react in this particular moment — in a way that’s surprising and isn’t necessarily something that can be found in a book. It’s been really rewarding to get to know Shaun better in this way, through each of the seasons.
Finally, have you learnt anything useful, in terms of medical information, after six seasons of playing a doctor?
People often ask this question and now I’m starting to feel like I just haven’t learned as much as I should have. I’m very good at the jargon — like what parts of the body certain Latin words refer to, but in terms of like practical use — if someone is in pain or is injured, I can just reel off a long stream of medical words, I just don’t know if that’s really useful, unfortunately (laughs).
The Good Doctor Season 6, is now streaming on SonyLiv.
romal@newindianexpress.com
@elromal