An autistic doctor. A lovable serial killer. A homeless musical prodigy. Charlie Bucket. Peter Pan. Off the top of your head, those are just some of the ways that you can describe the acting career of Freddie Highmore. To me, I like to describe him as our generation’s Tom Hanks; You just can’t help but love him, and he can do no wrong.
While I was on a date this weekend (Yes I know, shocking), and the subject of Fall TV programming came up. My date told me that he was interested in watching the show The Good Doctor, but was not a fan of the actor Freddie Highmore. I was incredibly taken back by this because I think I’m secretly in love with Freddie Highmore (Guess that is no longer a secret). He takes on roles that make you fall in love with him more every time you see him on that screen. How can you not love his charming serial killer? All I was able to say to my date was, “Well you better not tell my mother that if you meet her, because she will go Norma Bates on you..“.
Many of you know him as the lovable Norman Bates from The Bates Motel, but some may remember him from his childhood movies in the remake of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory or Finding Neverland. Growing up in front of a camera can damage you, as we have seen with many childhood actors and actresses pulling a Lindsay Lohan and going crazy on the world, but that isn’t the case for Freddie. Not only has he made growing up in front of the camera look easy, he has made something of himself and continues to shine in every role that he takes on.
Most twenty-five-year-olds are not capable of the work that Freddie Highmore does. In his latest role as doctor Shaun Murphy on The Good Doctors, he takes on the part of a witty autistic doctor trying to make it through his first year as a surgical resident. Not only does Freddie have to face the same problems that you do when moving to a new area and starting a new job, but he is also struggling to show the outside world that he doesn’t want to let his autism from stopping his conquest to be the best doctor that he can be. This is by far one of the best roles that he has taken on, not just for his acting capabilities, but for the message that he is creating behind it. That you should never let a disability hold you back from doing what you want to do.
Ultimate Ginger Review: Freddie Highmore is the Tom Hanks of our generation. You just can’t hate Freddie Highmore. His acting capabilities surpass most, if not all, of the actors of his generation, as well as the productions that he takes on. Not only is he a great actor, but it’s in the roles that he takes on that give so much more meaning to the character of the person that he is. I can’t wait to see what the reason of this season looks like on The Good Doctor, as well as to see what Freddie Highmore chooses to do next.
Featured image via “147275_9672” by Walt Disney Television / CC BY-ND
The Tom Hanks of our generation?
What an extremely disrepsectful and inaccurate comparison.