The doctor is in

On the show, Harper’s character Dr Marcus Andrews is the chief of staff, working closely with the lead character Dr Shaun Murphy, who is autistic.
Harper and Highmore
Harper and Highmore

Three Ivy League degrees, several honorary doctorates, including those from Westfield State College and Howard University, and an established author – looking at his resume, you’d think Hill Harper, 53, was destined for a career in academics. But in the early ’90s, Harper, who was born in Iowa, gave it all up and moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. Starting off in television with recurring roles in shows like Married…With Children, he soon moved on to films, bagging his first acting role in the Spike Lee drama, Get on the Bus (1996). A brief stint in independent films followed, before he was cast in the crime series CSI: NY. After playing a doctor in the 2000 medical drama City of Angels (which earned him a nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series in the NAACP Image Awards), Harper now plays a doctor once again in The Good Doctor.

An actor prepares
On the show, Harper’s character Dr Marcus Andrews is the chief of staff, working closely with the lead character Dr Shaun Murphy (played by Freddie Highmore), who is autistic. Harper reveals that he met and worked with a number of groups that deal with autistic young people. “I’ve met with counsellors that work with them too. It was a huge educational experience for me because I wasn’t familiar with autism before the show. It really opened my eyes in the same way as people who are watching the show. I’m really proud of the writing,” he says.

High praise for Highmore
Harper is also all praise for co-star Freddie Highmore, 27. “When we talk about Freddie, I think that he right now, in playing Dr Shaun Murphy, is doing the best work of any actor on television. Period,” he affirms, adding, “Working with him on a daily basis and being on set to see the level of commitment and how well he plays the character is great. I’m so impressed by him and who he is as a person both on and off-screen. He deserves every accolade he’s getting and he deserves to win every award, because he is doing phenomenal work.”

Best of the guests
It seems like there will be plenty to look forward to in the show that has also seen plenty of guest stars including Eve Gordon, Marsha Thompson and Irene Keng. However, Harper says that he most enjoyed working with West Wing actor Joshua Malina in Season 3. “My dear friend Dulé Hill was on the show, West Wing. I had met Joshua at Dulé’s wedding and he and I became friends at Dulé Hill’s wedding. It was great to see him on our show. He’s such a good doctor and plays a wonderful character on the show. He was wonderful to work with,” he signs off.

Season Three premiered on October 8 and airs every Tuesday at 11:00 pm on Colors Infinity.

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