John Davidson is a colourful character, by any means. Warm, caring, outspoken, and honoured by the Queen, but also unpredictable and prone to swearing wherever he goes. He just can't help it, it's because Davidson has Tourette’s Syndrome, a condition he's been living with - and campaigning for - for several decades now.
His story is the stuff of great cinema. Yet, playing someone with Tourette's is a huge step out of the comfort zone for any actor; Robert Aramayo takes on the challenge in I Swear, directed by Kirk Jones, who's turned Davidson's life into one of the most tender and honest biopics of the year.
It's a heartwarming portrayal of the man from Galashiels, Scotland, who grew up in the 1980s, a time when Tourette’s was widely misunderstood - and still is to some extent today, as becomes evident talking to Aramayo, who clearly fell in love with his character during the shoot.
One senses the overwhelming research that the 33-year-old British actor has put into this job, not only physically but in terms of his emotional awareness. "Just to be around John was a massive help to understand his energy," he says via Zoom.
Aramayo might so far be best known for his prominent supporting roles as the young Ned Stark in HBO's Game of Thrones and half-elven lord Elrond in Amazon's recent TV adaptation of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. However, in I Swear he's clearly taking complete ownership of the role, delivering a performance that is carefully built around admiration, respect and truthfulness for which he was honoured with the best lead performance award at this year's British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) - and deservedly so.
PAMELA JAHN: Thinking about John Davidson and living with Tourette's in general, I feel we all have our little tics, we just don't always notice them. Would you agree?
ROBERT ARAMAYO: It's true, there's more tics around than you would think. Especially with Tourette's, there's much that you don't even notice, and there's a lot of tics that once you understand them a little bit more, you start to see them more commonly. That was surprising for me about making the film. But, at the same time, to me, it was never about the tics, because the more important thing is the person behind.
Could you relate to growing up feeling like an outsider yourself?
I didn't really think about that. My focus was on building this particular character. John is such an incredible person. His life's been amazing, despite the struggles he's faced. All I cared about was just to dive into his persona, trying to understand his childhood and the way he had to learn to adapt.
Did you have any trepidation taking on the role?
It's all centred around authenticity. Obviously, I'm playing a young man with Tourette's, but also somebody from Scotland, from Galashiels. Someone who's had a very different life to me. Plus, John is very famous now, and that can be intimidating. So, add that to the list as well.
How much did you know about him before you read the script?
I didn't know about all the documentaries, and I'm glad I didn't. I just read this script about an incredible guy. Only then, I've discovered all this notoriety he gained as the "reluctant poster boy for Tourette's Syndrome" following the 1989 BBC film, John's Not Mad, but also how he's used his life to speak about the things that matter to him.
To be authentic, do you have to be very precise as well.
For me, it was about finding as much as we could about John, anything that he was up for sharing, including the conversations that we could have. He's also incredibly funny. John's sense of humour is brilliant, and he's got a massive heart. I wanted to make sure that was all in there, so I was very specific about that.
How did you bring yourself up to his pace, because the timing of some of his reactions is crucial in portraying him?
One of the first lessons I learned was that the most predictable thing about Tourette's is that it's unpredictable. Instead, some of the questions I asked myself were: How does the person feel about the situation? What's John's level of anxiety? What are the triggers in the room, and how would that affect his reaction? We'd get into certain scenes, and I'd realise that it would be a much more difficult moment for John than I originally imagined because of those environmental factors.
It must be a very different approach to playing someone like Elrond in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?
It's another set of circumstances and an unusual role to take on, with its own unique challenges. But here, I also worked with an amazing movement coach. This way, we were able to get really specific about how exactly John moved through space, how he walked or held a cup of tea. Very quickly, it wasn't about Tourette, it was about John and where his centre of gravity is, rather than thinking about the sort of elephant in the room.
There's a beautiful scene in the film, that Alleyway chat between John and Lucy, where you talk about loneliness and the fear of not finding love when you're someone living with Tourette's.
I spoke to a lot of people, and it's a part of their journey. But I think as with any situation in life, John has been lucky, he's got Dottie, the mother of one of his childhood friends, who's been supporting him all the way, and an amazing group of family and friends around him.
But he's an exception to the rule in that way...
Maybe but, on the other hand, how could I do not love this man? Especially, when you see John speak, you cannot but be in total awe of the man. He's so articulate, empathetic and understanding. He comes from feeling all the time. Who wouldn't admire that quality in a person?
One of the most important moments in the film is when Maxine Peake, who plays Dottie, says to John that he should never apologise for his tics, or living with Tourette's. Did you discuss that with John as well?
It's true, and I like how the movie marks that moment as being a total surprise to John, something that he has to wrap his head around before he can fully understand it. Because in the story that we tell in the film, up until that point, he's not had much of support. And those first experiences with Dottie were crucial for him to be able to accept what happened to him.
You mentioned John's humour, and one of the funniest scenes is right at the beginning when John gets to meet the Queen, to be bestowed with an OBE. What's been the most embarrassing moment so far in your acting life?
As an actor, you're just constantly falling flat on your face. It's part of the job in some ways. So, I feel like I do it every five seconds. Still, from as early I can remember, I always wanted to act, and, pretty much like John, I wouldn't have been able to do what I do today it without the support of all the people around me that believed in me. I will always be grateful for that.
- I Swear is now available to watch on various digital platforms (and to pre-order on DVD/Blu-ray)
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