Delroy Lindo has spoken out about the racial slur incident during last night’s Bafta Film Awards, revealing that the awards body did not speak to him and Michael B Jordan afterwards.
Sinners co-stars Lindo and Jordan were at the awards ceremony on Sunday (22 February) at London’s Royal Festival Hall to present the prize for visual effects. However, during their introduction, the n-word was shouted by a member of the audience with Tourette syndrome.
Speaking to Vanity Fair afterwards, Lindo said that he and Jordan “did what we had to do” while presenting the award, but that he wished “someone from Bafta spoke to us afterwards”.
A spokesperson for Bafta said in a statement: “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.”
They added: “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.“
They went on to “apologise unreservedly” to Jordan, Lindo and all those impacted after “a loud tic in the form of a profoundly offensive term” was heard in the room, thanking them for their “incredible dignity and professionalism”.
The spokesperson also thanked Davidson for his “dignity and consideration of others” when he chose to leave the auditorium during the ceremony to watch it from a screen, “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.”
Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson – whose life with the condition is the basis for film I Swear – could be heard shouting words such as “boring” and “f***” during the ceremony. The 54-year-old also shouted the racial slur while Jordan and Lindo were presenting, prompting host Alan Cumming to apologise.
“You may have heard some strong and offensive language tonight. If you have seen the film I Swear, you will know that film is about the experience of a person with Tourette syndrome,” he told the crowd.
“Tourette syndrome is a disability and the tics you have heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette syndrome has no control over their language. We apologise if you were offended.”
Davidson left the venue after the slur incident, but returned to celebrate the Best Actor win of Robert Aramayo – who plays him in the film. The biographical comedy-drama also picked up the award for Best Casting.
The BBC later issued an apology for airing the racial slur, with a spokesperson saying: “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the Bafta Film Awards.
“This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome and was not intentional. We apologise for any offence caused by the language heard.”
In a follow-up apology, they added that the ceremony has been removed from iPlayer, and would be re-added without the slur.
The vice chairman of Tourettes Action, Ed Palmer, told Times Radio on Monday (23 February) that the BBC should have considered bleeping out the slur during the broadcast.
“This is really one of the most acute examples of where something that is a disability can cause quite understandably huge amounts of offence to someone,” he said.
“So, if it’s being pre-recorded now, then bleeping it out, for example, might be a reasonable compromise. But I think it has to be taken on a case-by-case kind of decision and scenario.”
He added that he is “very, very mindful of the people that would have quite understandably been hugely offended by whatever word was said, or an offensive word that’s used by somebody with tics and Tourettes”, adding that he thought “it is important to show compassion and understand that it is involuntary”.
“Causing offence is often very distressing to people who have this condition,” Palmer said.
A spokesperson for the charity also asked the public to understand that the tics are involuntary and “not a reflection of a person’s beliefs, intentions or character”, describing the “backlash” to the incident as “deeply saddening”.
“People with Tourette’s can say words or phrases they do not mean, do not endorse and feel great distress about afterwards,” they said. “These symptoms are neurological, not intentional, and they are something John – like many others with Tourette’s – lives with every single day.”
Tourette syndrome is a neurological condition characterised by motor and vocal “tics”, such as coughs, twitches, and fully articulated phrases. A small number of those with the disorder also experience coprolalia, which involves involuntary cursing or making socially inappropriate remarks. The words are not chosen for meaning in the moment.
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