Close Menu
WTX News
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Trending
    • Arrests made at protest for Palestine Action in London
    • Jamie Overton replaces Saqib Mahmood in England XI for third ODI
    • Sure! Here’s the text without the site name, category, date, and full stops: “It blew my mind as a kid” TV fans reveal best sci-fi series ever
    • Israel warns Gaza City residents to flee south to humanitarian area
    • Mauricio Pochettino ‘shocked’ by Daniel Levy’s Tottenham exit
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    WTX News
    • Live News
      • US News
      • EU News
      • UK News
      • Politics
      • COVID-19
      • Business
      • Tech zone
    • World news
      • Middle East News
        • UAE News
        • Palestine News
      • Europe
        • Italian News
        • Spanish News
      • Africa news
      • South America
      • North America
      • Asia
    • News Briefings
      • UK News Briefing
      • World News Briefing
      • Live Business News
    • Sports
      • Football News
      • Tennis
      • Women’s Football
    • MY World
      • Climate Change
      • In Review
      • Expose
      • Special Reports
        • Conscience Convoy
        • Rohingya Report
    • Entertainment
      • Insta Talk
      • Royal Family
      • Gaming News
      • TV Shows
      • Streaming
    • Lifestyle
      • Fitness
      • Fashion
      • Cooking recipes
      • Luxury
      • Money Saving Expert
    • Travel
      • Culture
      • Holidays
    • Sign Up
      • Log In
    WTX News
    • Live News
    • World news
    • News Briefings
    • Sports
    • MY World
    • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Sign Up
    Home - Music - Freddie Highmore: ‘My Amazon Prime thriller doesn’t make the assassin impossibly perfect’
    Music

    Freddie Highmore: ‘My Amazon Prime thriller doesn’t make the assassin impossibly perfect’

    By Savanah Al Badri8 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Telegram WhatsApp
    Freddie Highmore: ‘My Amazon Prime thriller doesn’t make the assassin impossibly perfect’

    Cliff Notes – Freddie Highmore: ‘My Amazon Prime thriller doesn’t make the assassin impossibly perfect’

    • Freddie Highmore stars in the new Amazon Prime thriller The Assassin, portraying Edward, the son of a former hitwoman played by Keeley Hawes, highlighting a complex mother-son dynamic.
    • The series combines high-stakes action with dry British humour, making it relatable despite its unconventional premise, according to Highmore.
    • After seven years on The Good Doctor, Highmore expresses excitement about new opportunities and the chance to work with esteemed actors and writers in the UK.

    Freddie Highmore: ‘My Amazon Prime thriller doesn’t make the assassin impossibly perfect’

    Former child star Freddie Highmore now stars in a gripping Amazon Prime thriller (Picture: Stefan Bertin)

    ‘People still recognise me on the tube for roles I played 20 years ago. It’s kind of mad.’

    One can only imagine what it would be like to be recognised around the world as a kid. But that was Freddie Highmore’s reality when he soared to fame as a child star in films including Finding Neverland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and August Rush.

    Last year, the actor bid farewell to The Good Doctor, a medical drama he’d led for seven years. Now, the 33-year-old stars in the new Amazon Prime Video thriller series The Assassin, teaming up with British acting legend Keeley Hawes in what could be TV’s most dysfunctional mother-son duo.

    Keeley plays former hitwoman Julie, who’s forced to come out of retirement and reveal her secret profession to her grown-up son Edward, portrayed by Freddie. It’s rife with action, excitement, twists and a whole lot of dry British humour, which Freddie delves into while speaking to Metro.

    One of the standout aspects of The Assassin is Edward’s relationship with Julie. Freddie and Keeley, 49, have a brilliant dynamic together on screen, and the Bates Motel actor says that it was ‘thrilling to get to go on this journey with her’, having admired the Bodyguard star’s work for years.

    ‘The same goes for Harry and Jack Williams,’ he shares, bringing up the writers of The Assassin, who also created the Jamie Dornan thriller The Tourist. ‘This does what they do so well, combining the thriller, high-stakes, high-octane, twisty, turny type of storytelling, but with something more interesting and nuanced to say underneath it.

    It’s a wonder that Freddie and Keeley Hawes haven’t worked together before (Picture: Prime Video)

    Edward’s world is flipped upside down when he finds out his mother Julie is a former hitwoman, but he also has secrets of his own (Picture: Prime Video/Two Brothers Pictures/Des Willie)

    ‘They’re also great at doing all of that with a sense of humour, and with a very British understated sense of humour too.’

    There’s no lack of thrillers available on streaming platforms for TV fans to binge. But what makes The Assassin feel so refreshing is not only its wry humour, but also how relatable it feels, despite following the wild story of a hitwoman.

    ‘[The humour’s] not too broad or too silly, but it complements the seriousness of it and gives it a bit of texture and nuance, and also keeps it quite real,’ Freddie outlines.

    ‘The characters are all accessible and approachable and definitely make mistakes. Even with Keeley’s character, who’s incredibly accomplished at what she does, the show doesn’t try to make her impossibly perfect. I think a part of that is the sense of humour and that British dose of self-deprecation.’

    Freddie’s character Edward balances out his mother’s recklessness with his overly cautious nature. The journalist also has secrets that he’s keeping hidden, and has spent years wondering who his father is, a mystery that his mum refuses to reveal.

    Want to find out more about The Assassin?

    In her four-star review of The Assassin, Metro’s TV Editor Sabrina Barr writes: ‘The new Amazon Prime series created by The Tourist’s Harry and Jack Williams isn’t just packed with gripping twists and stunt choreography that’ll have you on the edge of your seat. It’s also funny. And not just enough to spark a light chuckle. It’s funny in a quintessentially British fashion, with humour that’s dry and relatable. I was sucked in straight away.’

    You can read more here.

    The actor spent seven years on The Good Doctor, on which he was also an executive producer (Picture: Rowand/Sony/Kobal/Shutterstock)

    Having grown up in London, Freddie has spent a great deal of time in the US with his career. In 2024, he bid farewell to medical drama The Good Doctor after playing the lead character Dr Shaun Murphy for seven years, an experience he ‘doesn’t think he’ll ever have again’.

    ‘I feel very lucky to have had that opportunity in my life,’ he says. ‘It feels a bit like graduation, where you have such fondness and love for being in that environment, and there’s a part of you that can imagine staying there forever, but there’s another part of you that wants to do other things and is excited about the opportunity of moving on.’

    Nonetheless, when he’s on his home turf, he’s still frequently recognised for the roles he played when he was a child. When he was a kid, he didn’t think that he knew at the time that he wanted to act forever – but on reflection, he feels as though it might have been ‘predestined’.

    When asked what he’s recognised for the most in the UK versus the US, he answers: ‘I would say things from when I was younger still resonate from what must be 20 years ago now, which is kind of mad. On the tube, people will still remember those roles.’

    The Entertainment world has changed drastically since Freddie first started acting professionally compared to now. So new child stars emerging, such as the new Harry, Ron and Hermione in the Harry Potter TV reboot, will have a far different experience of fame than Freddie did.

    Freddie rose to fame as a child star in films such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Picture: Peter Mountain/THA/Shutterstock)

    He played a musical prodigy in August Rush, acting alongside Robin Williams, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Keri Russell (Picture: Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock)

    ‘It is a very different time, and it’s so hard to give advice,’ he says when asked. ‘I was very lucky that it never became the centre of my life. I went back to school, and that was always the focus. I went off to university and took time off to do that, so acting became an active choice as something to return to, as opposed to something I fell into as a kid and then ended up doing without really thinking about it.

    ‘I was lucky to have that quite strong sense of separation. But it was also a time where social media wasn’t really a thing, or it had only just started to become one. So it was easier to maintain that distance and to step back from it and not feel like you were constantly on show.’

    During our interview, I had to bring up one of my favourite films of his – August Rush, the 2007 musical drama that saw him act opposite the legendary Robin Williams.

    ‘I was so lucky to get to work with him,’ he says as he remembers his late co-star fondly. ‘I just remember him bringing such a positive energy to set and being so enthusiastic, and also just so effortlessly funny, and bringing the entire crew together and having everyone rally in the same direction because of the force of nature that he was.’

    The legendary Robin brought ‘such a positive energy’, Freddie recalls (Picture: Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock)

    From 2013 until 2017, the actor starred as Norman Bates in Bates Motel (Picture: AE/Everett/Shutterstock)

    For August Rush, Freddie learnt to play the guitar. For The Good Doctor, he felt as though he was picking up medical knowledge. But in actual fact, he warns that if there were a medical emergency and someone tried to call on him for help, it would be a ‘very bad idea’.

    ‘I’d like to think that I picked up medical knowledge. However, my fear is that the knowledge I think I know is actually just a cheat in terms of how to make things look good and look like you’re doing a particular procedure,’ he admits. So I’d probably be worse placed than most people to try and help, because I’d think I know what I was doing, but I’d just do it completely wrong.’

    Now that Freddie is back in the UK, having always thought of London as home, he’s excited to ‘actually live here properly again’, as well as to catch an Arsenal match when he has a chance. He would love to do more UK-based work, and would work with Keeley, Harry and Jack again ‘in a heartbeat’.

    Being back home has also given him the chance to catch up on some prime TV that he previously missed out on.

    ‘You know what I have been going through recently? A few more of the David Attenborough [shows]. Being back in the UK, I’m re-watching a few of those classics, and I feel like there’s quite a few that somehow I missed when I was abroad. So I’ve got that on my list of things to work through,’ he says.

    There’s nothing like being in the UK and watching a bit of Sir David Attenborough, is there?

    The Assassin is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. 

    Comment now

    Comments

    Arts and Entertainment London UK Entertainment
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email Telegram WhatsApp
    Previous ArticleCrime commissioner apologises for claiming ‘dead bodies’ found in woodland
    Next Article Is Piastri right to be worried about the “worst place” to start on Spa F1 pole?
    Savanah Al Badri
    • X (Twitter)

    Savanah is the Fashion news correspondent for WTX News. She has over 15 years experience in journalism and communications on a range of organisations, with roles that range from Reporting and Editorial to Brand Account Manager and production roles. She regularly writes features in Middle eastern Fashion and the latest trends coming through the world of fashion.

    Related Posts

    Sure! Here’s the text without the site name, category, date, and full stops:

“It blew my mind as a kid” TV fans reveal best sci-fi series ever
    Music

    Sure! Here’s the text without the site name, category, date, and full stops: “It blew my mind as a kid” TV fans reveal best sci-fi series ever

    Returning WWE icon AJ Lee gave top star ‘belief’ she could make it
    Streaming

    Returning WWE icon AJ Lee gave top star ‘belief’ she could make it

    The Testament of Ann Lee review: The most radical film I’ve ever seen
    Music

    The Testament of Ann Lee review: The most radical film I’ve ever seen

    60s rock band guitarist Mark Volman dies aged 78 after unexpected illness
    Music

    60s rock band guitarist Mark Volman dies aged 78 after unexpected illness

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    Advertisment
    News Headlines
    Arrests made at protest for Palestine Action in London

    Arrests made at protest for Palestine Action in London

    Israel warns Gaza City residents to flee south to humanitarian area

    Israel warns Gaza City residents to flee south to humanitarian area

    Save 70% on VIP subscription
    News Briefings - the way to a better life
    News Briefings - the way to a better life
    Advert by Sponsors
    More from WTX News
    The latest gaming news - with game reviews and tips and tricks. updated 24 hours a day.
    The latest gaming news
    Hot off the press!
    • Arrests made at protest for Palestine Action in London September 6, 2025
    • Jamie Overton replaces Saqib Mahmood in England XI for third ODI September 6, 2025
    • Sure! Here’s the text without the site name, category, date, and full stops: “It blew my mind as a kid” TV fans reveal best sci-fi series ever September 6, 2025
    • Israel warns Gaza City residents to flee south to humanitarian area September 6, 2025
    • Mauricio Pochettino ‘shocked’ by Daniel Levy’s Tottenham exit September 6, 2025
    wtx news brings you the latest news, a UK news briefing, Sports analysis, and premier league news with a special round-up of Business and crypto updates
    Facebook X (Twitter) TikTok Instagram

    News

    • World News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • EU News
    • Business
    • Opinions
    • News Briefing
    • Live News

    Company

    • About WTX News
    • Register
    • Advertising
    • Work with us
    • Contact
    • Community
    • GDPR Policy
    • Privacy

    Services

    • Fitness for free
    • Insta Talk
    • How to guides
    • Climate Change
    • In Review
    • Expose
    • NEWS SUMMARY
    • Money Saving Expert

    News delivered to your inbox

    Copyright WTX News 2025

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.