DOCTOR’S ORDERS!

Hollywood’s risin gyoung star makes our hearts skip a beat

Actor Freddie Highmore had just a few days to check out of BatesMotel and hightail it to the hospital for his next gig! “It was pretty quick – I finished shooting my final scenes on Bates and three days later, I was sitting down with TheGood Doctor creator David Shore,” tells Freddie. Having created the hit drama House, David is known for his Midas touch – and when he explained the premise of his new show to Freddie, it seemed like a no-brainer. “It tells the story of Dr Shaun Murphy, a brilliant young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome,” tells the actor, 26. “He is such a fascinating and intricate character, and an important one. All of that excited me.”

After five seasons playing Norman Bates, Freddie was ready for a change and TheGoodDoctor was a perfect fit. It certainly offers the star a challenge, with the series committed to exploring autism, not exploiting it. “There’s a huge amount of responsibility and research that comes with it,” he says. “I wanted to make sure Shaun was portrayed as authentically as possible. I watched documentaries, read pieces of literature and worked closely with the consultant we had on set.”

With little dialogue and an emphasis on behavioural patterns, the role of Shaun is no mean feat. But it’s clear Freddie has fully committed. He explains, “I kept reminding myself that Shaun shouldn’t represent everyone in the world who has autism or is on the spectrum. It was important to constructt an individual who isn’t defined by those two conditions.”

The fact that Freddie brought such sophistication to the role is hardly surprising. He’s been one to watch since his break-out film Finding

Neverland in 2004. “It’s funny how time flies because Neverland doesn’t feel like that long ago,” he tells.

The star teamed up with Neverland co-star Johnny Depp again in the 2005 film CharlieandtheChocolateFactory. Then, two years later, he shared the screen with the late Robin Williams in AugustRush. “You learn a huge amount just from being around peoplee like Robin and Johnny – not only in terms of acting, but also how to behave on a film set,” he says. “They were at the top of their game, but they never felt like they were better than anyone else.”