On Sunday night’s ceremony, the Sinners castmates were left shocked as they presented an award.
The BAFTAs has issued a formal apology to both Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo following a racial slur being shouted at them while on stage at the film awards. The Sinners stars were left momentarily shocked after the outburst came from Scots campaigner John Davidson, who is diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome.
This apology comes as Delroy reportedly shared with Vanity Fair at a BAFTA after party while he and his co-host Michael “did what he had to do” while presenting the award for special visual effect , he wishes “someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards”.
Davidson, who was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at 25 but first experienced symptoms at the age of 12, was the inspiration behind the film ‘I Swear’ which had been nominated for a BAFTA. Along with winning Best Casting, Robert Aramayo – who portrayed Davidson – was also awarded Best Actor and Rising Star.
Following Davidson’s involuntary tics in parts of the show, which can manifest in muscles movements or sounds, the BBC issued a statement apologising if it had “caused any offence”. This has now been followed by a statement from the BAFTAs which thanks Michael and Delroy for their “incredible dignity and professionalism”.
The statement reads: “At the Bafta Film Awards last night our guests heard very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many. We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all.
“One of our guests, John Davidson MBE, has Tourette syndrome and has devoted his life to educating and campaigning for better understanding of this condition.
“Tourette syndrome causes involuntary verbal tics that the individual has no control over. Such tics are in no way a reflection of an individual’s beliefs and are not intentional. John Davidson is an executive producer of the Bafta-nominated film, I Swear, which is based on his life experience.”
It continues: “We take the duty of care to all our guests very seriously and start from a position of inclusion. We took measures to make those in attendance aware of the tics, announcing to the audience before the ceremony began and throughout that John was in the room and that they may hear strong language, involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony.
“Early in the ceremony a loud tic in the form of a profoundly offensive term was heard by many people in the room. Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time and we apologise unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted. We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.”
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The statement adds during the ceremony John decided to leave the auditorium and watched the rest of the proceedings from a screen. BAFTA added: “We would like to thank him for his dignity and consideration of others on what should have been a night of celebration for him.
“We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all. We will learn from this, and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy.”
Davidson has also since released his own statement sharing he is “deeply mortified” if anyone has considered his involuntary tic as “intentional or to carry any meaning”.
Thanking the BAFTAs for inviting him to the broadcast, he shared he was blown away by the applause he received as it was announced ahead of the recording of his attendance and the symptoms of his condition.
He said: “I was heartened by the round of applause that followed this announcement and felt welcomed and understood in an environment that would normally be impossible for me.”