Delroy Lindo has said he wished “someone from BAFTA” had spoken to him after an incident in which the N-word was shouted at him at the ceremony.
On Sunday night (February 22), Lindo and his Sinners co-star Michael B. Jordan presented the Best Visual Effects prize at the awards show in London, but as they were delivering their introduction, they were interrupted by the racial slur.
The outburst came from John Davidson, who is diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome and is the subject of the film I Swear, which had a huge night, winning Best Actor for Robert Aramayo as well as Best Casting.
The condition causes sudden and involuntary sounds or movements – known as tics – and as per a statement from Tourette’s Action today, the tics are “not a reflection of a person’s beliefs, intentions or character” and are “neurological, not intentional”.
At a Vanity Fair afterparty, Lindo, who is nominated for an Oscar for his role in Sinners, said that he and Jordan “did what we had to do” when the slur was shouted out, but added that he wished “someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards”.
Davidson was also heard shouting other profane language during the ceremony, including “shut the f*** up” during an introductory speech from BAFTA chair Sara Putt, and “f*** you” to the directors of Best Children’s and Family Film winner Boong.
Attendees at the ceremony have said that they were warned ahead of the show of Davidson’s condition, but Variety have reported that none of the nominees or presenters were contacted by BAFTA ahead of the show.
BAFTAs host Alan Cumming issued an apology from the stage during the show, saying: ““Tourette’s Syndrome is a disability and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette’s Syndrome has no control over their language. We apologize if you are offended tonight.”
The show was broadcast by the BBC on a two-hour tape delay, but the use of the N-word was not edited out of the show, for which the BBC have since apologised, and it has now been edited out of the version of the show that is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
At the ceremony, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another dominated, winning six awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Aramayo’s win for I Swear was one of the biggest upsets in BAFTA history, seeing him beat out Hollywood heavyweights Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothée Chalamet. He also won the BAFTA Rising Star Award.
This year’s BAFTAs also showcased a few musical performances, including a rendition of ‘Golden’ from hit Netflix animation KPop Demon Hunters by EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI, as well as Jessie Ware singing a moving version of Barbra Streisand’s ‘The Way We Were’ for the In Memoriam segment.
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