Freddie Highmore masters “the Art of Getting by”

Sarah Husbands

“The Art of Getting By”

Opens in theaters June 17, 2011

Starring Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts and Michael Angarano

Directed by Gavin Wiesen

When watching movies such as “Willie Wonka” and “The Golden Compass,” you couldn’t possibly imagine Freddie Highmore as anything more than a child actor. This young actor has shown the audience in his recent movie “The Art of Getting By,” that he is growing up.

This inspiring film tells the story of a teenage loner boy named George, living in New York City, who hasn’t worked a day in his life. As the movie progresses, he falls in love with Sally, played by Emma Roberts, an attractive teen with some baggage of her own. As their relationship deepens, Sally teaches George, and the audience as well, that we are all in this world together and that we are not alone.

“The film is a reality and that reality is that everyone’s going through the same thing really,” Highmore said. “It’s a kind of growing up that people will enjoy.”

“The Art of Getting By” was Highmore’s first real shot at showing the world that he is no longer a child and is becoming an adult. Unlike his past characters, George has an abundance of issues that are represented through his sluggish attitude toward school and his future. Highmore is tackling a new kind of character that he has not yet played. He no longer needs to be the young child that he portrayed in movies such as “August Rush,” where innocence was a vital trait in the character he played.

“There’s the feeling of being unloved and out of place, all things that we have to deal with. It doesn’t really matter where you’re from, it doesn’t really matter the people you’ve been around, the scenes are pretty universal.” – Freddie Highmore

“As you get older, you ought to carry on playing in roles that are your age. “The Art of Getting By” was the first high school film that I have done, a coming of age in that way,” Highmore said.

With this film taking him and his supporting actors to the Sundance Film Festival, Highmore’s film career is definitely taking him places. The backing from his family and friends at home remind him of how fortunate he is to have such amazing opportunities.

“My family and friends make me feel incredibly lucky to do what I do; having these people have really kept me grounded,” Highmore said.

Although the film perfectly mirrors his own life development, Highmore differs from his character, George, in the way that he deals with actual emotion. Disillusionment is evident in George’s life, and although Highmore isn’t the teenager that George was, there were other ways that he was able to relate to his character.

“There’s the feeling of being unloved and out of place, all things that we have to deal with. It doesn’t really matter where you’re from, it doesn’t really matter the people you’ve been around, the scenes are pretty universal,” Highmore said.

“The Art of Getting By” opens in theaters June 17, 2011 and is a movie that even students can relate to. The initial moment of growing up is something that all college students experience and will be able to relate to particularly well. This movie encompasses what we all feel, which will make this a movie worth watching.

Contact Sarah Husbands at [email protected].