Actor Freddie Highmore feels that one of the reasons the medical drama “The Good Doctor” became a worldwide sensation was because the public could relate to his character, Dr. Shaun Murphy’s, optimism. The program catapulted the actor into the international spotlight after he previously starred in the critically acclaimed psychological horror drama series “Bates Motel” and the Tim Burton-directed 2005 film “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

Highmore plays Murphy, a young autistic surgeon with savant syndrome, a rare illness in which a person with serious mental problems exhibits talents much beyond normal.

The 29-year-old actor described the show’s remarkable five-season run as “magical.”

“I feel lucky that people have connected with the show and with the character that I play. I don’t think any of us could have anticipated the reaction, the popularity that it would have found across the world.

“And it’s hard to say exactly why, but perhaps it’s that optimism, the positivity that Shaun has, the fact that he wants to believe that people are inherently good at that. That means people have been drawn to him and drawn to his journey and want him to succeed,” Highmore told PTI in a Zoom interview.

Freddie Highmore announces he got married on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’

September 28, 2021

CREDIT: EMMA MCINTYRE/GETTY

Freddie Highmore, star of The Good Doctor, just made a major revelation on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Highmore stated that he got married early this summer. The actor, who has always kept his personal life private, did not reveal anything about his wife save for that fact that she is also British.

Kimmel noticed that the 29 year old was wearing a wedding band throughout the interview. “Yes, it is a wedding ring. You’re very perceptive,” the actor responded as the audience and Kimmel congratulated him. “It’s funny. Ever since I’ve been wearing this ring people have been asking me if I’m married. So I figured I should clarify it.”

The actor then alluded to Tom Cruise’s memorable visit on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2005, when he leapt up on the sofa to convey his enthusiasm for then-girlfriend Katie Holmes.

“But yes, I’m not gonna jump up and down on the couch on the talk show and express my excitement that way. I know that you do that in America. But I’m as happy as as a Brit can be and I’m married to a very wonderful woman now, so yes I feel very happy,” Freddie remarked. He also stated that his wife is British, although he did not reveal her name.

Highmore revealed that he is still adjusting to life as a newlywed. He explained, “I just still can’t get over the terminology and the vocab. Like, a ‘married man’ just sounds very old and ‘my wife’ sounds very possessive … So we don’t really use that yet. But we just point to the rings and be like, ‘Here, look. Draw your own conclusion.'”

When asked if his wife refers to him as “her husband,” Highmore said, “I feel like that sounds a little bit better. It’s just the ‘my wife,’ like, I don’t know.”

“Yeah, you’re going to have to loosen up a little,” Kimmel, 53, said.

Highmore noted that “it’s still early days,” adding, “Thank you for the tips!”

The ‘Bates Motel’ star, who had to fly to Los Angeles for the interview while filming ‘The Good Doctor’ in Vancouver, British Columbia, gave Kimmel an amusing anecdote about his fear of flying. “I had a run-in with customs when I was younger and it’s always stuck with me,” he explained. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he recounted being 10 or 11 years old when he was stopped by customs inspectors armed with firearms in a Cambodian airport.

The Good Doctor, which is a remake of a South Korean show of the same name, has been renewed for a fifth season. He is also well-known for his parts in films such as Finding Neverland (2004), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), August Rush (2007), and The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008).