Actor Robert Aramayo has defended Tourette activist John Davidson, who hurled racist slurs at Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo at the BAFTAs in London over the weekend.
Aramayo, who won this year’s BAFTA Best Actor Award for playing Davidson in the biopic I Swear, said the slurs Davidson hurled at his Sinners co-stars were “tics” and that he was “not shouting obscenities.”
“First of all, it’s a tic. He has a tic. We have to understand,” he told a BBC reporter after Sunday’s ceremony, according to the Daily Mail. “How we view Tourette’s is a collective responsibility. It’s not about shouting obscenities.”
“It’s not abuse. It’s Tourette’s. It’s tics,” Aramayo, 33, added. “If that leads to a deeper understanding of Tourette’s and the film becomes part of that conversation, that’s great.”
Representatives for Mr. Aramayo, Mr. Jordan and Mr. Lind did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
Davidson hurled the N-word at Jordan, 39, and Lind, 73, who were presented with the award for best visual effects for “Avatar: Fire and Ash” on Sunday.
The awkward moment was reportedly not edited out for the BBC One broadcast and remained on BBC iPlayer until it was removed on Monday morning.
BAFTA Awards presenter Alan Cumming apologized to the audience shortly after Davidson’s racist remarks, and the BBC also subsequently released two separate statements apologizing for the incident.
A spokesperson for the broadcaster said in a statement on Monday: “We apologize that this was not edited before broadcast and it will be removed from the BBC iPlayer version.”
In response to the backlash, the BBC said in a separate statement: “Some viewers may have heard strongly offensive language during the BAFTAs.”
“This resulted from an involuntary verbal tic associated with Tourette syndrome and was not intentional, as was explained during the ceremony,” the British broadcaster added.
As for director Cumming, he acknowledged that BAFTA audiences “may have noticed some strong language in the background,” and explained, “This may be part of how Tourette syndrome manifests for some people, as the film explores that experience.”
The “X-Men” actor later addressed the incident further, saying “Tourette syndrome is a disorder” and “tics like the ones you heard tonight are involuntary.”
“I’m sorry if I offended you tonight,” he said.
Other celebrities who have responded to Davidson’s racial slurs include Sinners production designer Hannah Beachler, Django Unchained star Jamie Foxx and The Wire alum Wendell Pierce.
“Situations like this are highly unlikely, but it happened three times that night, including one directed at me as I was on my way to dinner after the show,” Beachler wrote to X after the ceremony.
“I understand and deeply understand why this is an impossible situation. I know that we must deal with this with grace and continue to move forward,” the 55-year-old added. “But what made it worse was the apology at the end of the show that was dropped with, ‘If we offended you.’ Of course we were offended.”
In a comment on a video shared by Neighborhood Talk, Fox wrote that Davidson “meant it like that” and called it “unacceptable.”
Meanwhile, Pearce told X that he was “upset” that the “initial reaction” of those involved was not a “full and full (sic) apology” to Jordan and Lind.
“The insults towards them take precedence,” the 62-year-old added. “The reason for the racist slur is irrelevant.”
But when Davidson yelled the N-word at Jordan and Lind, it wasn’t the only moment his tics could be heard throughout the night. Because the activist also reportedly told BAFTA chair Sarah Putt to “shut up you motherfucker” during her introductory speech.
Later, later in the ceremony, he could be heard yelling “fuck you” as the directors of “Boom” accepted the award for best children’s and family film.
Meanwhile, Davidson is said to have voluntarily left the Royal Festival Hall during the second half of the ceremony.
