DR. FEELGOOD
Freddie Highmore brings some joy to television hospital drama genre
Freddie Highmore sees the good in everybody — even serial killers such as Norman Bates, one of the most notorious murderers in cinematic history.
“I always thought that Norman was still somehow endearing and likable, as opposed to this horrible, nasty serial killer who was coldhearted,” says Highmore, who played the corpse-freezing killer for five seasons of A&E’s Bates Motel, a prequel series to the 1960 film Psycho.
His current character, surgeon Shaun Murphy on The Good Doctor, however, might as well be called Dr. Feelgood. As in, the stories in each episode make viewers feel good. The ratings those episodes bring in likely make broadcasters ABC and CTV feel even better.
When it debuted in September, The Good Doctor took in 11.2 million U.S. viewers and 2.6 million Canadian ones — enough to place it in third place that week in Canada, behind only The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon. It has consistently ranked among the mostwatched broadcast shows since then.
Emotionally exhausting fare seems to be resonating with viewers of late: The success of The Good Doctor follows 2016’s breakout, NBC’s This Is Us — the tear-jerker family saga that not only warms the heart, it serves it up à la mode, with extra whipped cream.
“What I have always liked about Shaun and found refreshing in his character is his optimism, always striving to see the good in people, his hopeful outlook on the world,” says Highmore.
“And I think in a time when there is more negativity than usual around the world, people are potentially drawn to Shaun and to the intimate, personal stories that we try to tell on a weekly basis.”
Shaun has autism and savant syndrome, which, combined with his youth, makes him an underdog at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. Also starring Nicholas Gonzalez and Antonia Thomas, the series is based on the 2013 South Korean series of the same name.
Highmore read the script for The Good Doctor three days after wrapping Bates Motel (both series film in Vancouver and share much of the same crew), and he was eager to go from taking lives to saving them.
“Your first reaction is to doubt that this is possible, that you get one amazing character straight after another one,” says Highmore, who was born in London and has previously starred in the films Finding Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The nuances of Shaun have also made viewers and critics take note — particularly the true-to-life portrayal of his autism.
With expert Melissa Reiner as a show consultant, Highmore plays the character as restrained yet not fully unaffected by the high-stakes medical drama swirling around him. (Atypical on Netflix also features a lead character with autism, a high-functioning teenager who decides to start dating.)
“In terms of Shaun’s autism, it was important to remember from the very beginning that he can never — and should never — represent everyone who has autism.
“It’s the same way that a neurotypical lead of a show could never possibly represent the plethora and wide variation of people who are neurotypical in the world,” Highmore says.
“We recently were given an award in Los Angeles from Autism Speaks, and it’s lovely to get positive feedback from those in the autism community. I think it’s also lovely when people who don’t have autism find something to connect with in Shaun.”
And while the stories on The Good Doctor are decidedly heavy medical drama fare — recent episodes have featured a young boy with terminal cancer, a woman with a high-risk pregnancy, and a man with Echinococcus, a cyst form of tapeworms — Highmore says he relishes those moments when Shaun can let loose.
“It’s important to infuse Shaun’s sense of humour into the show and have lighter moments. In a hospital where there’s so much heartbreak, perhaps more heartbreak than joy, it’s important to have a central character who has that optimism, but also a sense of fun and excitement about being there,” Highmore says.
“I’d like to think that I identify with his hopeful positivity. That is something that we should all try to remain aware of, and make sure that we’re thinking in that way too.”