GOOD DOCTOR GETS REAL
Highmore says tackling pandemic seemed like the right thing to do
Freddie Highmore and the storytellers behind ABC's The Good Doctor felt strongly they had to find a way to tackle the COVID-19 health crisis head on.
The medical drama, which has returned for its fourth season, put the pandemic front and centre in its two-part première.
“It's nothing like the realities that are out there,” the British-born actor says of pretending to be Dr. Shaun Murphy. He's speaking from Vancouver, where the show is filmed.
The dangers of the illness hit close to home recently, with Highmore's co-stars Richard Schiff and his wife, Sheila Kelley, both confirming they've been stricken by COVID-19.
Highmore, 28, spoke more about the changes that are in store for Dr. Murphy this season.
Q Why was it important for the show to address the coronavirus head on?
A It would have felt wrong and I think we would have been doing a disservice to the real doctors and the real front-line workers if we didn't pay tribute to them and their journey over these last few months and the truly heroic nature of what they've been doing and what they've been faced with on a daily basis.
Q Was dramatizing the health crisis a tough thing to get right?
A Yes ... I guess we sought to deal with it in a way that's in keeping with how we've always dealt with darker, sadder, more traumatic moments on the show, which is still finding moments of hope within that. I think what we've all gone through these last few months is (causing us to have) more of an appreciation for things we might have taken for granted.
Q You're filming a show with a large ensemble cast. How have you been staying safe?
A We have testing three times a week. We wear masks at all times and we take them off at the last minute before going on camera. There are temperature checks every single day. Everyone keeps their distance, so the set feels like a different place — and it should feel like a different place. The camera crew who are usually inside filming are now outside, remotely operating on a crane.
Q What's in store for the rest of the season? How will the pandemic affect other storylines?
A It does move past the pandemic toward a more hopeful future ... There are four new residents and Shaun is going to have to be a boss to them. He's going to have to take responsibility for them in a way that he never has before. He's good at imparting his medical wisdom, but he may find the personal aspects of the job more challenging.
Q Nicholas Gonzalez's Dr. Neil Melendez was such a beloved character and I know his death in season 3 shocked a lot of fans of the show. Will we see him again this season?
A You never know. It felt right because of the repressions of moving into season 4, especially from Claire and Audrey's point of view. There was a lack of goodbye and there was more story that needed to be told and his death is still affecting them, as it has the others around the hospital.
Q Shaun's romantic life has gone in a new direction. What's going to happen with you and Lea as the season progresses?
A It will be exciting to explore their relationship in a more mature sense this season. It was exciting to see Shaun and Carly and Shaun and Lea in these early stages of dating and romance, but I think now that Shaun and Lea are together, they're going to have to learn to navigate life as a unit. There will be deeper, more meaningful, nuanced beats of what it's like to be in a relationship with someone long term, when two people have their own desires and their own careers and their own ideas of what they want to do in the world.
Q What have you loved most about playing Shaun?
A He constantly changes and grows. I think one of the misconceptions about autism is if someone has autism they can't evolve as a person or change as a human being in a way that all of us can. So, I think getting to see him at the very beginning as a naive resident coming in, brilliant in many ways, but also young in so many others, seeing that constant change over
time. Seeing him coming out of his shell a little bit more and getting to understand his sense of humour, seeing him fall in love and now seeing him in a position of authority welcoming new people into the hospital is a really exciting journey.
Q Why do you think audiences have connected with The Good Doctor?
A In part that message of hope we were talking about earlier. In a time when there is so much division, Shaun is seeking to build bridges. He doesn't prejudge people ... He genuinely wants to understand people and he has a curiosity about humanity that doesn't come from a negative place or has some ulterior motive. I think that's what people have connected to; that message of optimism. Shaun is proof all of us may have our differences, but ultimately, we are more the same than different and we can constantly look to find ways to get along with each other.