June 9, 1992 • England
Actor
British performer Freddie Highmore began his acting career in 1999 at the age of seven. In 2005 he was only twelve years old and had already built up a pretty impressive resumé. Highmore landed his first movie role at the age of seven in Women Talking Dirty, playing opposite veteran actress Helena Bonham Carter (1966–). From then on the plucky lad with the big, brown eyes and adorably large ears became a familiar face to Brits who caught him in small parts on television and in film. In 2004, alone, Highmore appeared in three movies, but it was his standout performance in the critically acclaimed Finding Neverland that brought him worldwide attention.
A star at seven
Freddie Highmore was born on June 9, 1992, in England. Perhaps it was not surprising that he entered show business, considering his father, Edward Highmore, is an actor, and his mother is one of the country's top talent agents. In fact, it was thanks to his mother that he snagged his first auditions. "I thought it would be a fun thing to do," Highmore commented to Jenelle Riley of Back Stage. "I started off doing small parts on TV, and then the movies came along."
Highmore's first film role was in the British comedy Women Talking Dirty (1999), in which he played Sam, the young son of an outspoken single mother played by Helena Bonham Carter. He then took small parts in several television productions, including Happy Birthday Shakespeare (2000) and I Saw You (2002), both British exports. The steadily working Highmore also played young King Arthur in the American television miniseries The Mists of Avalon (2001). His first real break came in 2004 when he was cast in the family drama Two Brothers, the story of two tiger cubs separated at birth. Highmore played Raoul, a young boy who adopts one of the cubs. Since the movie had a worldwide release, it was the first time audiences on a large scale had the opportunity to see the fledgling actor at work.
Highmore had already completed another role, however, that would catapult him from cute kid actor to bona fide film star. In early 2002, when he was just nine years old, Highmore was cast in the movie, Finding Neverland, directed by German-born filmmaker Marc Forster (1969–). Neverland was based on the stage play The Man Who Was Peter Pan and chronicles an episode in the life of Scottish writer J.(James) M.(Matthew) Barrie (1860–1937), creator of the world-famous character Peter Pan.
The boy who would be Peter Pan
The play and the movie delve into a relationship that blossoms between Barrie and a family he meets while strolling through
"I hope that I'm sort of a normal boy."
Kensington Gardens in 1904 London, England. The author strikes up a friendship with Sylvia Davies, a beautiful young widow, and her four sons, Jack, George, Michael, and Peter, all of whom are devastated by the death of their father. Peter, in particular, has been hard hit and is becoming more and more emotionally withdrawn. During their outings in the park, Barrie begins to weave elaborate stories for the boys, eventually creating an imaginary place called Neverland where children never grow up. Inspired by the innocence and wonder of his young friends, Barrie puts pen to paper and creates the story of Peter Pan.
Forster nabbed Oscar-nominated actors Johnny Depp (1963–) and Kate Winslet (1976–) to play Barrie and Sylvia Davies, but he had a harder time casting the roles of the young Davies brothers—that is, until it was time to cast Peter and in walked Freddie Highmore. "I think Freddie is pure magic," Neverland producer Richard Gladstein told Lisa Hirsch of Variety. "He was the first actor that read for Marc and I, and he defined the character. We went on to see a few others but by the end of the day we knew we had found our Peter." Gladstein even remarked that casting Highmore was central to the movie's success.
Although Forster had complete confidence in his young star, some of the Neverland cast had their doubts. As a result, on his second day of filming Forster purposefully shot a pivotal scene where an emotionally tortured Peter tears up a book and demolishes a playhouse. Highmore acted with such maturity and gut-wrenching realism that afterward no one questioned his abilities. In fact, some of his heartiest congratulations came directly from his costars. As Winslet (best known for her starring role in the film Titanic ) commented to Jenelle Riley of Back Stage, " [Freddie] is quite something else. I would literally get hairs up on the back of my neck watching this kid act."
Audiences and critics agreed. While Depp received high marks for his portrayal of the eccentric Barrie, young Highmore was applauded over and over for capturing the pain and angst of the troubled boy who served as the inspiration for Peter Pan. According to Riley, "He has several emotionally wrenching scenes in the film that he carries off with the experience of an actor twice his age." Highmore "steals scenes fro