As The Good Doctor comes to a close with season 7, viewers continue to tune in weekly to catch the inner workings of San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. With the life of Dr. Shaun Murphy being the center of the entire series, the actor behind the character is proud of the work he’s done to display one key element of the role.
When Freddie Highmore spoke to Entertainment Tonight at a Television Critics Association (TCA) event on February 10, the actor discussed the impact The Good Doctor has had on television since the ABC show’s 2017 debut. As he reflected on the journey Shaun has taken since the pilot, Freddie emphasized how the cast and crew took care in showcasing how the character’s autism and savant syndrome played a role in his story arc.
“[Executive producer] David [Shore] and I often discussed this hope and desire that the show would be considered — or at least it certainly was to us — as more than just a TV show and that it spoke to wider issues and themes,” Freddie told the outlet. “I hope, if in some small, tiny, little way, we’ve been able to change perceptions surrounding autism, challenge stereotypes. That would be the thing that I’d be most proud of and that would make it feel, as we’d always hoped it would be, more than just a television show.”
As fans know, Shaun’s character has developed quite rapidly throughout the course of the show. When he first came to San Jose. St. Bonaventure as a surgeon, he went through a rough childhood, being separated from his parents and living in multiple foster homes after the death of his brother Steve. He was taken in by his eventual mentor Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff), who would help him develop the skills to become a doctor and stay calm in high-pressure situations.
As the final stretch of episodes air on Tuesday nights, folks see Shaun not only balance being a doctor, but experiencing fatherhood after having a son with wife Lea Dilallo (Paige Spara). Viewers also see him interact with new medical students once again, including Charlene “Charlie” Lukaitis (played by Kayla Cromer, an actress with autism), who idolizes Shaun’s career and his presence at the hospital.
It’s worth noting this isn’t the first time Freddie has spoken out about how important it is for him to portray Shaun accurately. When talking to Variety in March 2019, he said he has a “moral responsibility” to do the role justice on primetime television. “It’s especially important in today’s world to portray different versions of masculinity, not only the stereotypical ones,” he told the publication at the time.
