“Sinners” production designer Hannah Beachler has said that Alan Cumming’s “throw away apology” over the N-word being shouted during the BAFTA Film Awards made the situation “worse.”
“I keep trying to write about what happened at the BAFTAs, and I can’t find the words,” Beachler, who was nominated for an award, posted on X after the ceremony. “The situation is almost impossible, but it happened 3 times that night, and one of the three times was directed at myself on the way to dinner after the show.”
She continued: “And a third time at a Black woman. I understand and deeply know why this is an impossible situation. I know we must handle this with grace and continue to push through. But what made the situation worse was the throw away apology of ‘if you were offended’ at the end of the show. Of course we were offended…but our frequency, our spiritual vibration is tuned to a higher level than what happened. I am not steal [sic], this did not bounce off of me, but I exist above it. It can’t take away from who I am as an artist.”
Beachler was understood to be referring to a number of outbursts by Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson, whose life inspired the BAFTA-nominated biopic “I Swear.”
As well as shouting out the word “fuck” multiple times during speeches, including “shut the fuck up” during BAFTA chair Sara Putt’s introduction to the ceremony, he was also heard shouting the n-word when Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented “Avatar: Fire and Ash” with the award for best visual effects.
BAFTAs host Alan Cumming made two statements about Davidson’s outburst during the ceremony, the first explaining that the “strong language in the background” can be a symptom of Tourette’s for some people and thanking the audience for their “understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.”
He later added: “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.”
Despite the ceremony airing with a two-hour delay on BBC One in the U.K. and E! in the U.S., the slur was not cut from the broadcast.
“I Swear” went on to win a number of awards during the evening, including one for actor Robert Aramayo who beat out Jordan as well as Leonardo DiCaprio and Ethan Hawke to take home the leading man statue for his portrayal of Davidson, who was diagnosed with Tourette’s at the age of 25 after years of outbursts.
Before the ceremony began a floor manager, who addressed the audience to issue a number of notices regarding things such as fire safety protocol, flagged that Davidson was in the audience and that he has “Tourette’s Syndrome so please be aware you might hear some involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony.”