There’s gold in them there Hill
The Good Doctor actor Harper moonlights as a financial adviser
The Good Doctor
Returns Monday, ABC/CTV
Downtime? What downtime? Hill Harper may play former chief of surgery Marcus Andrews on The Good Doctor, but that’s just his day job — this TV physician can also heal your wallet.
Hill is the author of the personal finance book The Wealth Cure, and draws on his Harvard law training and various entrepreneurial ventures to back him up.
The actor spoke about his role as Dr. Andrews, the impact of the medical drama (which returns Monday on ABC/CTV) and — because we just couldn’t resist — the most important thing people should know about managing their money.
Q In the season finale,
Dr. Andrews risked his career to rehire Dr. Murphy (Freddie Highmore). What was your reaction to that plot twist?
A It’s a testament to the writing of David Shore to basically take a character who, at the beginning of the series, was the biggest naysayer against Dr. Murphy and then having him go through this evolution and save Dr. Murphy. You have to ask yourself the question, when you go out on a limb for someone and it hurts you, ultimately was it worth it and were they worth it? We’re faced with those decisions throughout our lives in different ways.
Q When the show debuted, fans and critics made a big deal about the fact that Dr. Murphy is on the autism spectrum.
How do you feel that part of the show has developed?
A The show itself represents overcoming any type of difficulty, celebrating diversity and celebrating the way different people look at the world. It seems like we’re at a time and place in the world where if you don’t see the world the way I see the world, that means you’re a bad person. Our show is the antithetical idea of that. Our idea is that you’re OK even if you see the world differently. In fact, it may in fact be a benefit.
Q What kind of feedback have you got since then?
A I love that so many people on the spectrum love the show, and they tell me that because of it, other people perhaps now understand the way they think. But I want to be clear — Dr. Shaun Murphy is not trying to represent everyone on the spectrum. He’s just this specific character who sees the world this specific way.
Q You’re also a personal finance advocate. If you could give people one tip about managing their money, what would it be?
A I wrote a book called The Wealth Cure, which says that true wealth depends on your own personal definition. It has nothing to do with money — money’s just a tool to help you live a happy, wealthy, healthy life. The biggest tip that’s concrete is that no matter how much or little money you’re earning or have access to, make sure you start saving early and let the time value of money or compound interest work to your benefit. Most people learn that too late. When you make money multiply on itself, it frees up your time. Then you can do other things besides earn, whether it’s spending more time with your kids or painting, or going on that trip to Italy, or whatever it is. You can’t be free if the cost of being you is too high.