Dr. Murphy gets talking: Tête-à-tête with Freddie Highmore of The Good Doctor fame

Popular actor, director and producer Freddie Highmore plays the role of Dr. Shaun Murphy in the show The Good Doctor. Highmore made his debut in the comedy film Women Talking Dirty (1999). He is best known for his starring roles in the films such as Finding Neverland (2004), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), August Rush (2007), and The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008). He won two consecutive Critics' Choice Movie Awards for Best Young Performer.

1. So, you directed episodes on Season 2. How was it? Will we see more episodes directed by you?

Yes. I will get to direct again in Season 3 which is exciting. I'm very grateful to David Shore for the opportunity to be involved not only from an acting perspective on the show but also writing and directing. I think directing is something I would love to do more and continue as it moves forward. I think the other thing is learning to direct. I got to direct on Bates Motel before this, it's a perfect place to learn and to start developing those skills. You're in such a supportive environment with a wonderful crew, a wonderful DOP, everyone wants you to succeed and it's lovely to start directing in that familial environment.

You're finally dating in this season and people are talking about that. I'm wondering what kind of (unintelligible) that potentially opens from a storytelling point of view and what your reaction is to all the various fan bases who all seem to have an opinion on who you should be dating.

Yes. I guess it would be wrong of me to side with Shaun ending up with one person or another at the end of his, hopefully, long exploration of love and what it means. But that certainly dramatizes the central question for Shaun this season- will he find love and sort of deeper than that, what does it mean to him and taking things very much on step by step, little by little basis. I think one of the wonderful things about David Shore's writing is that he has always managed to dig into the nuances of the character of Shaun and the idea that Season 2 ended with Shaun asking someone else on a date and then saying yes, feeling emotionally climatic enough to be the season ender is a good indication as to where things go in Season 3. It's kind of really rebelling in those small little moments as we see Shaun step by step, little by little learning to explore what love could be and what dating could be. And I think that it's exciting for an audience to watch moments like that. I think those small, little experiences are incredibly universal but sometimes get glossed over on other shows. And so, it's remaining true to Shaun and to his condition and how he experiences love, but I think it's also something everyone will be able to relate to.

The thing that really comes up interesting to me in Season 2 is the fact that everything that we knew from season 1 is now in jeopardy. And, the new director, the new Chief of Surgery is transferring you in Pathology. So, what does it mean for Shaun and do you think that he will have to prove himself over and over?

I think there will always be people who doubt Shaun, who question him. But to Shaun even though he will change and grow and learn as the character, he will always have autism. And I think that means people will always find a reason to discriminate against him. He does see the world differently and he is different from other doctors that are at his hospital and that's what makes him a brilliant surgeon and a worthwhile part of the team and someone that we love. I think the flip side of that does not only do Shaun change and learn to fit into the medical environment in a way that invites slightly less confrontation with others at times. I think he truthfully will change the world of the hospital. I think people are learning from Shaun and Shaun sees the world differently and that unique perspective is something that can be helpful to everyone. In a way that's what I was referring to. There's so much turmoil around the world. I feel like something that everyone has responded to is the idea of taking a leaf out of Shaun's book and seeing the world through a refreshingly honest and ultimately hopeful lens. And I think all of us would be better people if we listened a little bit more to people like Shaun. Shaun asks questions from a very genuine, non-judgmental place. He doesn't jump to judging people. He's not afraid of expressing an opinion and he's genuinely just trying to understand people. In a time when there's so much division, Shaun is trying to bridge that gap a little bit. He's genuinely curious as to where people come from.

Freddie, it's been said that this Season 3 Shaun won't be able to save everyone. Do you think he's going to go through more extreme situations? I mean the best two - first season. And did you push for it?

I wouldn't say it was something that I necessarily pushed for David Shore always has a very strong understanding of what he wants to do and it's ultimately trying to support that vision as best as we all can. I think there is more emotional turmoil I had for Shaun this season. I think things are starting to be taken to the next level in terms of responsibility at the hospital and that means that Shaun will become more responsible. The residents have their first surgery this year and everyone at the beginning of Season 2 is battling it out for who will be the first person to get that opportunity and of course all of the residents will have that first moment of being the first person who's ultimately responsible for the life of the patients in front of them.

So, there's so many amazing veteran actors on the show that you get to work with. Can you maybe share with us like if you learned anything from any of them or, you know, yes - so?

I think it's a very collaborative loving environment on set where everyone feels like they can offer an opinion and have input into every scene and feel creatively to have fun and to enjoy, but at the same time maintain a set of the professional working environment. I think this is important for television because this is now our third season and hopefully, we will have more. The idea that we still maintain on set is that every scene is important, every episode must be as important as the one that came beforehand. It may feel like just some other episode and a whole string of episodes in a season. But all of us are aware of the need to maintain the quality as best we can every single day.

In terms of Season 2 coming to the end, it was wonderful to get to spend as many seasons as I did with Richard Schiff who's a brilliant actor and a wonderful person. I think he is constantly alive in the scenes. He's always excited to try something different and to not come to set with too many preconceived ideas of how something should be but also just open to being alive and free to find something exciting. He's constantly pushing himself and it's a joy to work with him.

Can you recollect any of our favourite scenes with Richard?

Back in Season 1, the more emotional scenes are the ones that are the most memorable from Shaun's perspective. I think because they come at such a climactic moment in the story and in his journey. I feel like the time when Shaun lashed out to Dr. Glassman in Season 1 was a big turning point for him. I think it was Episode 9 in the atrium in that main room at the hospital that was memorable. Last season, another big moment for Shaun was in Episode 17, the ultimate one where Shaun gets himself fired clearly through trying to state his case and now knowing how best to express himself. So that was another memorable scene that I got to do with Daniel Dae Kim last year. Those are a couple of moments that have been special.

Freddie, what was the biggest challenge you faced as an actor for this new season and particularly in regarding the romantic aspect of the show that has come to the front in the new season?

There's actually a documentary that I first watched way back before shooting the pilot called Autism and Lust which I love because I think so much of the narrative around autism can understandably focus on the very real struggles that people with autism face on a daily basis, be that, as with Shaun, communication or discrimination or any other challenges. I guess the sort of focus in that documentary on lust and the most universal of emotions and seeing people with autism who are often categorized somehow as being an emotionless or devoid of emotion. The idea of getting to show someone with autism and getting to tell Shaun's story being about this most wonderful feeling that everyone feels, and experiences differently have been exciting. Trying to dig into on a nuanced level what Shaun is dealing with and what he is feeling as he tries to navigate the huge amounts of emotion that come with falling in love for the first time. How he is taking those little steps of going on a date or being physically closer to someone at all. This new pool of sensation has been interesting.

I want to know if this season represents the brand new start for Shaun. And if so, if it will be more dramatic than the show first ones?

I think the stakes are higher in that Shaun now has more to lose than he did at the beginning. He was this underdog at the very start who was trying to find his place within a hospital but if we think back, had someone fired Shaun early on in Season 1, it would have been easier to imagine him moving on to taking a different path in life or ending up in a different hospital. Whereas now, he has much more to lose, obviously he's had a connection with Claire from the very beginning and he has his wonderful friend in Lea. I feel like Shaun and Dr. Park are becoming closer and forming their own sense of friendship in Season 3. So, while all of that is wonderful for Shaun that he finds his place, it also means that the idea of losing it is even more heart-breaking.

You were nominated for the Golden Globes with Best Performance in this season and this series. What does it mean to you to be nominated with this role?

The Golden Globes were obviously lovely. It was great to receive recognition from the Hollywood foreign press and as a European and being a foreigner myself within the United States, it felt especially lovely. It felt like recognition for everyone and to everyone's work and obviously my face maybe the thing that people see when they look at Shaun but there's so many more elements that go into creating that character that it felt like something everyone was able to share and celebrate together.

You're filming the Good Doctor in Vancouver. Is the place beginning to feel like a second home for you?

It certainly is, especially because of Bates Motel, the show that I was on before the Good Doctor was also filmed in Vancouver. So, this is my eighth year in a row filming something in Vancouver. London, back home in the UK, is most definitely home but I spent most of my adult life working in Vancouver which is a funny thing to think about or to acknowledge. I love the city and whenever this wonderful journey comes to an end, I'm sure my connection with Vancouver will always be a special place.

You talked a little bit having fans worldwide for this show. Is there a fan reaction that stayed with you?

Without going into personal stories or history, ultimately the most meaningful responses that we've received are from people within the autism community, either people who see themselves reflected in Shaun and some big or small way or people who have family members who are on the spectrum or children and seeing to what extent Shaun can offer a certain amount of hope or even just someone to identify with and point to and say, "Shaun is a little bit like me." Those have been the most rewarding interactions.

You started your career very young. So, we can say that you were a child actor. And we see a lot of child actors that never make it when they grow up. Why do you think that you are able to succeed?

I've been pretty lucky especially throughout my childhood to have a very supportive family and a very strong sense of home in London. Going to a normal school and going to university, acting was never really the focus of my life growing up which ultimately looking back, was very healthy. I was fortunate in terms of making a transition from younger actor to an older actor to have been on Bates Motel because there was never really this moment, where I needed to change from child to adult in the five years of doing that show as a (typical) time in my life. It felt like that transition happened without it needing to be a conscious effort that I went into the show as a young guy and left more of an adult.