Freddie Highmore: I’ll Have the Chocolate He’s Having

When coming across children with extraordinary abilities or traits, people often joke, “What are you feeding them?” Maybe they’re abnormally tall, or can peel oranges with their toes, or they can recite the alphabet backwards in under a minute; whatever it is, it’s not uncommon to associate one’s impressiveness with the type of food they eat.

Take, for example, Freddie Highmore. He’s well-known for his role as eleven-year-old Charlie Bucket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – that scruffy, blue-eyed (and a bit too emaciated) kid with a craving for chocolate. Highmore, however, was not a one-hit wonder. His career soon dove into mature roles like psychopath Norman Bates in Bates Motel and autistic Dr. Shaun Murphy in The Good Doctor. Highmore took these characters and spun them into real people, their lives painted on the screen for audiences across the world to laugh, cry, and love for. He depicts their emotional struggles with a near-disturbing level of accuracy, from the subtlest shift of his eyes to the angle of his posture. His excellence in portraying such complex characters has surpassed most other performers who have tried and failed to replicate the lived experiences of those they cannot personally identify with.

So, what exactly are they feeding Freddie Highmore?

Considering his previous role as Charlie Bucket, Highmore’s talents might be traced back to the chocolate he had during the filming of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I’m not sure whether it’s the walnuts or the nougat, but something about that chocolate seemed to possess the power to transform its consumer into a performer of ingenious skill and talent.

To make this point clearer, Highmore displays a particular knack for portraying neurodivergence. In Bates Motel, Highmore appears as a homicidal psychopath struggling to navigate living with an extreme case of dissociative identity disorder (DID). Fans and critics alike recognized Highmore’s brilliance in the role across the Internet, from professional interviews to colloquial exchanges on Reddit. One interviewer on “Young Hollywood” noted his ability to embody such an ever-changing “day and night” character while having such a different personality in real life. Even further, in The Good Doctor, Highmore plays an autistic surgeon with savant syndrome who grapples with the frustrations of being underestimated in and out of the workplace due to his neurodivergence. He was also endlessly commended for this role. Many individuals with autism spoke out online, saying things like “[his acting was] relatable in many ways” and “he nails every scene with consistent brilliance.”

Several individuals, however, have remarked that the characteristics that Highmore takes on for Shaun only perpetuate harmful stereotypes and don’t accurately reflect the truth of living with neurodivergence. But many point out that Highmore’s character simply represents a singular point on the lengthy spectrum of autism, and not all of the mannerisms he chooses to show on camera will be an exact representation of every individual with autism. It’s interesting to note, too, that a considerable amount of these complaints of Highmore’s alleged failure to adequately act the part come from neurotypical individuals. One person on a community forum for media portrayals of autism, for instance, said, “He acts very robotic to the point where it sounds like bad acting. I know a few autistic people and none of them sound like that.” Many autistic individuals replied to this, frustrated, explaining that speaking patterns are widely diverse among different levels of diagnoses for autism. There are a few accusations from neurodivergent critics, as well, but most of the neurodivergent community seems to find satisfaction in Highmore’s portrayal of the role and are also willing to argue with those who find his acting unsatisfactory.

In both shows, Highmore delivers a beautifully tragic depiction of what it’s like to live with a mental disorder. According to several interviews, he conducted thorough research beforehand to ensure that his acting choices were accurate to the communities he was representing, especially given that he’s neurotypical and didn’t want anyone to feel misrepresented in the media. This research included dialogue with personal friends and family that are neurodivergent, documentaries, a vast range of literature, an autism consultant, and more. Unsurprisingly, millions of viewers resonated with Highmore’s acting.

This isn’t to say, however, that there aren’t a few issues with Highmore’s portrayal of neurodivergence. While the issue of misrepresentation was mostly covered by his extensive research, many other concerns were related to the employment of Highmore – a neurotypical actor – for a neurodivergent role. After all, a neurotypical actor, as some have phrased it, “stealing” a part for a neurodivergent individual may very well defeat the entire point of trying to boost representation for neurodivergence in the media.

Unfortunately, the subject of bringing neurodivergent actors into the film industry remains a problem to be resolved as the world of media continues to readjust and redefine their filters of how certain communities are viewed through the camera lens. In the meanwhile, though, actors like Highmore are contributing little by little to transform those filters by giving a voice to those who aren’t as easily given the opportunity to speak, and that’s something that has remained consistent throughout his career. For now, neurotypical actors in similar positions should strive to follow Highmore’s footsteps in expanding their consciousness of their work, at least until the world finally learns the importance of having true representation of neurodivergent communities reflected in the media.

An actor with his level of intuition for authentically portraying such communities must have a secret to it. If it really is based on what they’re feeding him, I’d say that someone should inspect the chocolate on the set of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I don’t know about you, but I’d sure want to have a bite if that meant I’d have the same amount of skill and talent in my career. If Freddie Highmore is as in sync with his characters as he seems to be, he’d likely get Charlie Bucket’s favorite: a Wonka Whipple Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight. Or maybe he prefers the Triple Dazzle Caramel, or the Nutty Crunch Surprise.

Anyway, whatever it is, I’ll have the chocolate he’s having.