When an actor gets into character, they do more than rehearse their lines in their head and prepare to move on certain cues. An actor has to momentarily abandon their own personality, thoughts, and mannerisms to become a completely different individual. The best actors tend to study their characters, and sometake on their new personalitiesmuch longer than when they are in front of the camera.Freddie Highmoreis becoming one of the better actors who does this. OnThe Good Doctor, Highmore plays a surgical resident with autism. He toldDigital Spythat he is constantly learning and researching, so that he can be as true to his character as possible. People who have autism, or are close to someone who does, find Highmore’s performance spectacular, and they are able to connect to Dr. Murphy.
Even in his earlier years, Highmore often played characters to which others could relate. His soft nature and boyish smile makes people either like him or want to be like him. Before he played the blunt genius onThe Good Doctor, check out where else you likely know Highmore from.
8Two Brothers (2004)
Highmore plays the innocent and wise-beyond-his-years Raoul in the adventurous film,Two Brothers. He befriends a tiger cub for some time, though his mother is hesitant about a “dangerous creature” being so close to her baby boy. When his mother’s yappy dog and the cub get into a fight, the cub is taken away and given to the prince. A year later, Raoul notices his former tiger friend is in a cage during a festival, and he is heartbroken to find out that the adolescent tiger is supposed to fight another tiger (who is discovered to be his brother).
After the tigers recognize one another, they manage to escape into the festival. Raoul catches up with them and instructs his friend to run away and never return to the city. The moment shared between a boy and his tiger friend is sweet, and Raoul knew that it was for the best to let his friend go.
7Finding Neverland (2004)
Before Tinkerbell’s magic pixie dust could make children fly alongside Peter Pan, young ones had to get creative and allow their imaginations to run wild. Highmore stars alongside Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet as the young Peter Llewelyn Davies, who is skeptical of his mother’s illness, inFinding Neverland.
J. M. Barrie (Depp) takes a liking to the Llewelyn Davies family, and he finds inspiration in the creative stories and adventures he goes on with Sylvia’s four sons. Peter is unlike his brothers in the sense that he knows something is not right. He previously lost his father, and now with his mother sick, Peter believes all adults are lying to him about what is going on.
Barrie tries to walk the fine line of being an honest adult in Peter’s life, but he also wants to help the young man enjoy his childhood through silly stories and games. In the end, Peter and Barrie form a strong connection due to the fact they were able to help one another when they were both in need of a friend.
Related:Freddie Highmore Was Shoved Into a Dark Broom Closet to Avoid Getting Seen by Talk Show Host
6Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
After Highmore and Depp parted ways on the set ofFinding Neverland, the young actor wished he could see Depp again, perIGN, and that wish came true once he landed the lead role in the remake ofCharlie and the Chocolate Factory. Highmore plays the titular character, who finds a golden ticket that permits him into the mysterious chocolate factory owned by the peculiar Willy Wonka (Depp). Charlie, along with four other children and their guardians, enters the unusual factory, believing they are on a simple tour that has a prize at the end.
Little do they know, Wonka has strategically planned out how the children will go about the tour, and those who are greedy, rude, or ungrateful find themselves booted from the event. Charlie is the only one who makes it through the whole factory, and to Wonka’s delight, he gets handed the keys to the factory. However, Charlie declines the prize due to him not wanting to leave his family behind. Charlie teaches Wonka that forgiveness goes a long way, and success comes in many forms.
5A Good Year (2006)
The simplicity of childhood is often forgotten as we grow up, create our own families, and get lost in our career fields. For a middle-aged Max Skinner inA Good Year, he is forced to think back to his younger days when he inherits his uncle’s vineyard where he spent his summers as a boy. The film starts with a young Max, played by Highmore, learning to enjoy the best life has to offer on his Uncle Henry’s estate.
The two spend their summers drinking fine wine, playing chess, and telling stories. Uncle Henry was trying to impose on his nephew that life is too short to not take the time to enjoy the finer things it has to offer. When Max grows up (and Russell Crowe takes over the character) and is told that he has inherited his late uncle’s estate, he has flashbacks to his childhood where he learned some important lessons that contradict his current way of living.
4August Rush (2007)
Though Evan (Highmore) was born to two brilliant musicians inAugust Rush, he is made to live out the beginning of his life in an all-boys orphanage. Evan’s mother was told by her own father that the baby did not make it through the birth, and Evan’s father was never made aware of his possible existence. Evan, on the other hand, has a gut feeling that both of his parents are searching for him, and he takes it upon himself to find them.
Evan leaves the orphanage and discovers the endless possibilities in New York City. He meets other musically gifted children, a manipulative paternal figure, and a young girl with the voice of an angel who takes him in. A pastor discovers that Evan is a musical prodigy, and he takes the eleven-year-old to Julliard. After some mishaps and more running away, Evan makes his concert debut in Central Park. Both of his parents make their way to the stage during his performance, and there ismagic in the airwhile Evan concludes his rhapsody.
Related:Freddie Highmore’s Best Performances, Ranked
3The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
Highmore’s acting skills were put to the test in the fantasy film,The Spiderwick Chronicles, when he was solelycast as twin brothers, Jared and Simon Grace. The boys are opposite in most ways other than their looks: Jared is adventurous and very open with his opinions, while Simon is more gentle-natured and skeptical. They, along with their sister and divorced mother, move into the abandoned (and magical) Spiderwick estate. Jared goes on an adventure through the house and discovers a Book that tells all about the magical creatures in the world.
Jared’s family originally does not believe him, but once each member finds themselves faced with magical creatures, their attitudes change. Jared and Simon get mixed up with a myriad of mythical creatures, and they must set aside their differences to help one another escape. By the end of the movie, Jared takes a better liking to his new home, and he discovers the importance of appreciating one’s family.
2The Art of Getting By (2011)
This underrated romantic comedy film,The Art of Getting By, stars Highmore and Emma Roberts as passively rebellious teenagers in high school. Highmore plays George, a senior who lacks all sense of motivation, and Roberts perfectly represents the mysterious too-cool-for-school girl, Sally. After the two form an unlikely friendship, George finds himself wanting to do better. His principal gives him an ultimatum: be expelled or complete all of his missed schoolwork to be eligible for graduation.
After thinking it over, George goes with the second option. He gets to work on daily grades and tests, but his art teacher asks for a single project that has meaning behind it. This becomes George’s biggest hurdle. With his crush on Sally not going as he planned, George’s motivation wavers. He learns to channel his feelings into his art, and by the grand reveal, he has something he is proud of.
1Bates Motel (2013-2017)
NBCUniversal Television Distribution
Bates Motelis equal parts intriguing and creepy. Based as a modern-day prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s film,Psycho, this psychological thriller series is where most people see the dark side of Highmore. To tap into the mind of a serial killer is one thing, but to make the audience believe that each kill and psychotic break is justified, is difficult to pull off.
Highmore stars as Norman Bates, a seemingly troubled teenager with an overbearing mother. Fans desperately want to like Norman, and many truly do, but when his kills turn from accidental and protective to methodically planned out, it is difficult to watch the otherwise awkward teenager go through his “normal” life. Unfortunately, as the series progresses, Norman begins to lose sight of his own personality.
