MOVING THE NEEDLE
‘Good Doctor’ star’s search for realism in trailblazing role
FREDDIE Highmore stresses the word “authenticity” when talking about Dr. Shaun Murphy, the brilliant surgical resident/ autistic savant he plays on ABC’s breakout hit “The Good Doctor,” TV’s toprated new drama.
“You really can’t hide away behind other people and not come up with something that feels authentic,” Highmore says. “I feel a great sense of responsibility to portray Sean as authentically as possible. I’m aware of the fact that he can’t — nor should we try to make him — represent people who live with autism.”
In the series, which snared over 16.1 million viewers last week, Shaun is starting his surgical residency at a major hospital in San Jose under the tutelage of his mentor, Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff ), who’s known Shaun since his teen years (when Shaun’s big brother/protector died in a freak accident). Shaun’s autism manifests itself via his extraordinary skills — he can visualize things other people can’t and has encyclopedic knowledge — but he has difficulty picking up on social cues and rarely makes eye contact (he can’t detect sarcasm, anger, etc.). So far, it’s been a rocky road for Shaun in dealing with his new co-workers, though he’s now beginning to win acceptance with his earnest, quirky personality and occasional flashes of humor. (Oh yeah — he’s also saved a few lives along the way.)
“I think it was important, in building out Sean as a character, to focus on his very real struggle in having autism and being thrown into this new environment and bringing out his hopeful side — what makes him laugh, tick, etc.,” says the British-born Highmore, coming off a five-season run as Norman Bates on A&E’s “Bates Motel.”
“It’s nice to have a character who’s refreshingly upbeat and optimistic and his honesty is refreshing, too,” Highmore says. “We’re finding out more about him every single week, through his backstory and in the present, how he’s reacting to his new surroundings and trying to understand the world he’s fitting into. It’s still a learning process for him this early on; the codes and rules of the new life he has to learn and attempt to live by.
“The other issue [on the show] that’s already been raised is the idea of whether Shaun needs a helping hand [an in-home aide] at times,” Highmore says, “and whether he’s able to cope with this huge amount of pressure he faces at the hospital — while maintaining a happy and healthy existence in his home life.” Highmore says he knows someone with autism, but that Shaun isn’t based on one particular person. “I did research and watched documentaries [on autism] and we have a fulltime consultant onboard,” he says. “You learn as much as you can, and I try to see what’s right for Shaun and how I’m coming up with his idiosyncracies. “I’m building him as an individual — he’s only defined in part by his autism,” he says. “It’s a big story worth telling beyond the personal satisfaction [in playing the role]. I think it’s more than that — I think it’s because Shaun isn’t a stereotypical person with autism. He’s not emotionless, and I think that’s how people with autism have unfortunately been portrayed at times. “Hopefully this show is about coming up with nuances and not focusing only on Shaun’s struggles, but the positive ways he can contribute to the hospital.”