The Good Doctor fans will know Freddie Highmore leads the cast of the popular medical drama as Shaun Murphy. However, fans might not realise, in order to get the character right, Highmore had to do a great deal of preparation. Here’s what he has revealed about this.
How does Freddie Highmore prepare to play Shaun Murphy?
In fact, it has even landed the British star a nomination for best actor at the Golden Globe Awards.
In the series, he plays a young autistic surgeon with savant syndrome who joins the hospital staff.
Some of his extraordinary skills include having a near-photographic recall and the ability to note minute details and changes.
All of this makes him a fantastic doctor, even when others do not necessarily agree with his methods.
However, Highmore revealed it took him a great deal of preparation to be able to play the role in the first place.
Speaking to Scroll.in back in 2019, the actor went into a bit of detail about what this included.
He explained: “Shaun Murphy’s role required more preparation than any other role I did on TV.
“In terms of medicine, we do our best. We trust our medical consultant to give the right information.
“Doing this role made me appreciate the medical craft and profession in a new way.
“In terms of autism, it was important for all of us that the portrayal of the condition was authentic.
“Again, we had a consultant here too. [Series creator] David [Shore] and I watched documentaries and read relevant books to help ourselves construct the character.
“But we were aware that Shaun is representing an individual’s story and not everyone in the autism spectrum.
“The key was to portray his journey as an individual and not someone who is just autistic.”
Given the show’s huge critical and audience acclaim, it is fair to say they succeeded in their mission with the role.
Viewers will be able to see Shaun back in season four when it is planned to be released later this year on ABC.
The new series is sure to see the character dealing with the dramatic end to season three.
Not only did this see the death of his colleague Dr Neil Melendez (Nicholas Gonzalez) but it also saw Shaun’s love life take a turn.
This is because after he escaped the destroyed brewery, Lea Dilallo (Paige Spara) was there to embrace him and admit her feelings.
