Before starting the interview, Freddie Highmore (London, 32 years old) apologizes: “I’m going to speak in English, sorry. Right now I’m going back to filming and it’s difficult for me to change languages so quickly. When we talk again in Spain, we’ll speak in Spanish, I promise.” Graduated in Hispanic and Arabic Philology from the University of Cambridge, and after living and working for almost a year in Madrid doing translations in a law firm, Highmore has mastered the language of Cervantes almost perfectly, as he has demonstrated in previous interviews in Spain. It’s the end of February and, minutes after this video call, he will return to record the final chapters of The Good Doctor, That’s why he prefers to continue thinking and speaking in English during this break in filming.
Highmore, a child acting prodigy who has appeared on screen since he was seven years old and who became very popular as Charlie from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which starred Johnny Depp and was directed by Tim Burton in 2005, has led the cast of the medical drama since 2017 The Good Doctorin which he plays Shaun Murphy, a young doctor with autism and Savant syndrome. AXN broadcasts its seventh and final season from Tuesday 23 April (10:00 p.m.). From his words, it is not very clear whether Highmore is happy or resigned to this end of an era. “We know it is the end and we can bring the stories to a satisfactory conclusion. I think it is a good time to end,” reflects the actor. “The feeling is quite similar to that of a graduation. It is the end of a seven-year stage and it is an important moment that makes you nostalgic and makes you reflect on everything you have been through, but at the same time you have to move forward beyond this small bubble. It is exciting to think about what is to come, the future and new opportunities. It is probably healthy to play other characters and do other things. It is a bittersweet feeling.”
He arrived to The Good Doctor direct from another series, Bates Motel, which, in its five seasons, imagined the youth of Norman Bates, protagonist of Psychosisand his relationship with his mother. There were 50 episodes in total. By the time the medical drama ends, he will have played Shaun Murphy in more than 120 episodes, and will have seen him go from a young, inexperienced doctor trying to manage his difficulties in social relationships to becoming a married man with a baby. “It’s pretty crazy to look back, when he arrived at the hospital so young and naive, with incredible knowledge but new to the work environment. In this season, two students join that Shaun takes under his wing, teaches them and tries to impart his wisdom to them. Often, in free-to-air television series where you have to do many episodes, you look for a certain repetition and familiarity, but here we have been able to draw in Shaun a character with a great evolution,” reflects the actor.
Some actors have expressed exhaustion after playing the same character for dozens of hours of fiction. But long-running series also provide actors with a stability that is very difficult to achieve in the profession. “Yes, both things are true for me. But this character has always been exciting, I was constantly discovering new things about him. And, personally, I have really enjoyed that feeling of stability. It sounds a little corny, but the crew has become a kind of family. It’s been seven years of a lot of uncertainty in the world and I’ve been grateful for the stability in my life. I was talking to someone on set yesterday about how Covid seems like forever ago, but we went through it together on the show. It was an experience unlike any other. At a time when no one could see anyone, we were in this little bubble in Vancouver.”
In The Good Doctorcreated by David Shore (also responsible for another long-running medical drama that marked an era on television, House), Freddie Highmore has not limited himself to acting. He is also listed as an executive producer, has directed five episodes and even participated in the script of one of them. “I have really enjoyed being a part of this series in a broader way. Directing is definitely something I would like to do more of now that the series is ending, even directing things that are not necessarily performed by me,” he says.
Highmore is preparing for the next step in his career. In recent years, the actor has not had time for much else other than the series. He starred in the film Way Down, directed by Jaume Balagueró and filmed in Spain, and participated in the series Leonardo. Little else. “I don’t know what’s coming next, and that’s exciting. I still have a couple of months left with the series. It’s a little weird because we’re talking about the end and now I’m going to go to makeup and to the set to film, we’re halfway through the season yet. It’s like it’s the end but at the same time it’s not the end,” he explains. “When I finished Bates Motel, It was almost unbelievable but three days after finishing I sat down with David Shore to read the script for The Good Doctor. So I have no expectations about what’s coming. Bates Motel and The Good Doctor I have already been given an important space on television. If you are lucky, a series can last a while and you have to make the best decision because it is going to be an important part of your life. I don’t want to rush. I hope I can also spend some time in Spain. I have already recorded in Spain but I would like to do something in Spanish. That is on my wish list.
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