Highmore's career is in high gear

NEW YORK — Freddie Highmore is all long limbs and nervous energy — teenage electricity that doesn't quite know where to go. In "The Spiderwick Chronicles," which is based on the popular children's book series and opened Thursday, he puts that energy to good use, starring — and co-starring — as twin brothers, Jared and Simon Grace.

Soft-spoken, polite and oh-so-British, he's been around long enough to be an old pro at press tours. He played the title role in Tim Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," with Johnny Depp. He also performed with Depp, Kate Winslet and Dustin Hoffman in "Finding Neverland," and with Robin Williams in "August Rush."

Throw in French director Luc Besson's "Arthur and the Invisibles," and Jean-Jacques Arnaud's "Two Brothers," shot in Cambodia, and you've got an impressive resume for a 15-year-old.

Question: What was harder: doing an American accent, or coming up with two different voices for the twins?

Answer: Both were a challenge. The American accent is something I'd done before in "August Rush." I just tried to talk as much as possible (like that) so it became second nature and I wouldn't have to worry about it. But I also wanted to get a little difference between the twins' voices. One lower, one higher, to reflect their personalities.

Question: Are you more like Jared or Simon?

Answer: Somewhere in the middle. (He smiles.) I wouldn't go running around, smashing holes in walls. (Like Jared) But he's got a good drive to get things done. Simon is more an internal guy.

Question: What do you think of New York? You're here on a big day.

Answer: I was here for three months filming, so it's nice to be back. And the Giants won, so it's all good. We clicked on the TV earlier, when the parade was starting.

Question: As excited as we get here over football, I guess it's only a fraction of how crazy you folks get over soccer.

Answer: (He laughs.) We like our soccer. I support Arsenal, our local team in London. I've got season tickets. Soccer's a good sport. It's funny how we say "football" and you say "soccer." It just seems that your "football" is with your hands, and that always makes me laugh. It should be the other way around.