PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: PALEYFEST 2018: THE GOOD DOCTOR {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's 35th William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television and is dedicated to television's creative community. This PALEYFEST 2018 seminar honors "The Good Doctor," the dramatic medical series based on the South Korean series of the same name about Shaun Murphy, a young and brilliant surgeon with autism and savant syndrome.
Host Rene Reyes (executive in charge of production, The Paley Center for Media) offers opening remarks and welcomes George Pennacchio (entertainment reporter, KABC-TV) to the stage. Pennacchio introduces the first season finale, "More," which is then screened in its entirety. (For synopsis and credits, see ACCNUM 132081.)
After the screening, Pennacchio moderates the following panelists: executive producer David Shore and Daniel Dae Kim; producer/cast member Freddie Highmore (Dr. Shaun Murphy) and cast members Nicholas Gonzalez (Dr. Neil Melendez), Hill Harper (Dr. Marcus Andrews); Richard Schiff (Dr. Aaron Glassman); Antonia Thomas (Dr. Claire Browne); and Tamlyn Tomita (Allegra Aoki).
The panelists touch on such topics as: Tomita's love for her levelheaded character, compared to her own "dorky" nature; why East Coast native Harper feels that the show's strong writing is worth the commute to Vancouver; Schiff's enjoyment of working alongside real-life wife Sheila Kelley, cast as Glassman's potential love interest; Thomas' similarities to her character; Gonzalez's sense of being "on cloud nine" with the well-written series, after "paying his dues" on many lesser projects; how Murphy does not represent everyone on the autism spectrum, and Highmore's reaction to positive comments from the autism community; depicting Murphy as both heroic and fallible; Kim's interest in potentially acting on the show; his commitment to diversity and inclusion both in front of the camera and behind; Tomita's views on Aoki's romance with a younger man (Kelly Blatz); how single fatherhood informs Harper's take on Andrews' desperation for a child; exploring a new vulnerable side of "bad doctor" Andrews; Schiff's many cerebral roles and memories of his first acting teacher, renowned Professor Earle Gister, with whom Tomita also shares a connection; the recent introduction of Browne's mother (Sharon Leal); Gonzalez's hints about Melendez's as-yet unexplained tattoo; Highmore's acting challenge in portraying a character who struggles with personal connections, including eye contact; the other actors' experiences interacting with Highmore's non-traditional "living, breathing performance"; hints about the upcoming season finale and exploring the "fallout" of the show's recent events, including Glassman's tumor diagnosis; and Kim's explanation of the on-screen credit routinely given to the Korean series on which the show is based.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics, among others: Highmore's research into autism, including the documentary "Autism in Love" (2015) and work with series consulting Melissa Reiner, M. Ed.; flashbacks and visions of Murphy's late brother Steve (Dylan Kingwell); Thomas' views on the resolution of the timely sexual harassment subplot involving Browne and Dr. Coyle (Eric Winter); Highmore's interest in how Murphy has grown and changed over the first season without being "cured" of his autism, and how the other characters have adapted to him in turn; on-set mischief and jokes; praise for guest star Coby Bird, an actor with autism; and Thomas' memories of her challenging audition and balancing complex medical jargon with an American accent.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: 7:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: N/A
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 132067
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- George Pennacchio … Moderator
- Tamlyn Tomita … Panelist
- Hill Harper … Panelist
- Richard Schiff … Panelist
- Antonia Thomas … Panelist
- Nicholas Gonzalez … Panelist
- Freddie Highmore … Panelist
- Daniel Dae Kim … Panelist
- David Shore … Panelist
- Coby Bird
- Kelly Blatz
- Earle Gister
- Sheila Kelley
- Dylan Kingwell
- Sharon Leal
- Melissa Reiner
- Eric Winter