The Good Doctor is a great show, let’s get that straight from the start. But getting over Freddie Highmore’s robotic-sounding voice is a little difficult. Perhaps it’s the level of anxiety that is heard in his voice on a constant basis, which is explainable, but in terms of representing autistic individuals it seems to be more of an exaggeration that could possibly happen, but is not the norm. A lot of folks would state that autistic people do not sound like this, that there is more inflection their voice or less, more emotion or less, but that they do not look as though they are in a constant state of anxiety.
The acting portion of this is very accurate. Hypervigilance can make someone look edgy, as though they’re about ready to burst out of their own skin. But the modulation of their voice is not a typical thing that would be noticed. In the case of Highmore however his character was abused when he was younger so it is possible that this has carried over and made him wary of showing any more of his emotions or feelings than he is fully prepared to do. But then if he is afraid to show his emotions that kind of fear tends to spill over into other parts of the personality until it becomes a guiding force that scarcely allows the individual to do anything, let alone perform surgeries.
There are many different representations of autism, and many people function just fine even if they have the disorder. Autism is not like Alzheimer’s disease or any other degenerative issue that happens within the brain. Instead, autism is a type of disconnect in the brain that can cause a variety of difficulties in how the affected individual interacts with the world around them. In a way it’s almost as though someone unplugged certain connections within the minds of such individuals, therefore leaving them capable of doing some things on their own but not others. For instance, through repetition and a consistent level of training some people with autism could tell you that something is good or bad, but some of them couldn’t tell you why.
They could tell you their favorite TV show or movie, but they wouldn’t be able to discuss it with you. What type of disconnect is present and how severe the condition is depends solely on the individual and whether or not they have been given any type of prevention therapy. But more or less a lot of them don’t sound like Highmore does in this show. He sounds like a nervous child trying to appease anyone that has the patience to listen, even as he schools other folks in ways that they can’t begin to understand. But again, there could be a reason for that.
Like I said above his character was shown little understanding when it came to his condition as a younger boy, and as a result many people that have endured this kind of treatment tend to get the hunted, wounded animal look in their eyes. They’re expecting the hammer to drop at any moment, and in turn can become far more vigilant than other individuals, but at a very high price.
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To the author – Wake or Tom or whatever it is, what is your experience with autism? You seem to state as fact that the way Shaun Murphy speaks is unrealistic (unless he has experienced some trauma or something). yet you don’t give any credentials to back up your assertion. Did you consult with someone who is an expert on autism? Just curious. I know the show has a consultant specifically pertaining to autism to keep the character and the situations authentic. And Freddie Highmore is a very skilled actor. I’m sure the consultant would have said Freddie’s portrayal was inaccurate if it was. And if it was, Freddie would have changed it. I’ve also read feedback from people who understand autism saying that Freddie’s portrayal is spot on. So, again, what is your expertise on this subject?
I have met a good number of autistic individuals in my life, some that were high-functioning, some that were a lot more closed off. If I misspoke about autism at all I do apologize.
Never once have I heard this type of voice pattern in an autistic individual. But that is my experience, and not a universal one. So it could be that he is spot on and those few autistic individuals I have met were not the norm. Mine is not a professional opinion, simply one taken from personal experience.
Hey Wake, this guy doesn’t seem to realize the weirdness of the way Shaun Murphy talks, but I completely agree with you about Shaun’s robotic sounding voice. In the first episode of the series Shaun was actually talking like a normal human being. But then after the first episode, he started adding this emphasis intonation at the end of his sentences that LITERALLY make him sound like a robot. Listen to the way GLADOS talks in the sci-fi video game Portal . Shaun doesn’t sound remotely close to what the robot in Portal sound like, but Shaun has that exact same intonation at the end of his sentences just like GLADOS. I don’t know the reason why Shaun decided to add that extra emphasis at the end after the first episode. It was clearly an acting decision on the part of the actor, and like how you feel, it sounds absolutely terrible, and it is a horrible representation of people with autism. The most frustrating part about this is that he ABSOLUTELY NAILED his performance without this exaggerated intonation. I am on episode 6 of this series right now, so I don’t know whether this intonation ever gets fixed throughout the course of the series, hopefully it does, but if it doesn’t, it will forever be seared into my mind of how an absolutely astounding performance of an autistic individual is ruined by his unimpressive, and likely stereotypical, intonation.
I forgot to add that I just don’t hear this “constant anxiety” in his voice that you hear. I just hear a matter-of-fact voice void of much emotion. He comes across to me, through his voice and expressions, as rather calm and unencumbered most of the time. You said that “a lot of people” with autism don’t sound like Highmore does on this show. And I don’t doubt that to be true. But that doesn’t mean that a lot of people with autism don’t sound like that. From reading articles and watching interviews, I have learned that the creators of this show have made a point of NOT creating a character that is a “stereotypical” autistic person. They wanted to create a unique and whole individual who happens to have autism in a realistic and accurate way.
I think you are very right. It is a matter of perspective and what each person hears is going to be very different. What I hear and what you hear will likely be tinged by our different experiences so it’s fair to say that we’re neither wrong nor right, we just differ in our opinions. I have not watched show save for various clips yet, but it does seem like a well-designed program.
Tom, you were very polite. I don’t know what Elaine’s problem is, but your opinion was perfectly valid. Having spent many years with people at different points on the spectrum, this character is so atypical, it feels like something very different to autism. It’s pretty bad direction when Freddy Highmore (a great actor), looks like he’s doing a camp impression of Data from Star Trek TNG (doing a Kermit impression).
The stories are interesting, but it’s hammy as…
I appreciate that.