Kirk Jones' Bold Biopic Journey: From Personal Struggle to Acclaimed Film
By & Published Apr 24, 2026, 7:45 PM EDT Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
For Kirk Jones, the decision to make , wasn't exactly an easy one.
The 2026 biopic, which boasts a score of , stars Lord of The Rings' Robert Aramayo as John Davidson, a Scottish activist living with , a genetic, neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by involuntary, repetitive movements and vocalizations called tics. Some might know Davidson from his most recent outburst at the BAFTA awards, where he yelled out a racial slur while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting onstage. While he's since apologized both publicly and privately to those involved, Davidson insisted that the outburst was a result of his Tourette's, a condition he said is very much "misunderstood." The moment sparked a lot of backlash online, with many finding it hard to excuse the tic as anything other than blatant racism. It also prompted in which they said they took "full responsibility" for putting their guests and audiences at home in a "very difficult situation" and apologized "to all."
The film, however, takes place long before that, detailing the road that led him to the activism he's largely known for now, putting the spotlight on Davidson's 1980s upbringing as he navigated social stigma around the condition and involuntary outbursts, blending some of the biopic's most raw and emotional moments, with a sense of grounded humor.
ScreenRant's Liam Crowley spoke to Jones ahead of the film's U.S. theatrical release, where he explained why he took a big risk in casting Aramayo, and why, despite betting it all, he decided to move forward with the biopic.
Kirk Jones Financed His Home To Make I Swear
While the subject matter of the film itself was delicate to handle, that wasn't really the source of Jones' main apprehensions, with the director telling ScreenRant he took a bet on Aramayo and cast him in the role of Davidson without him ever even auditioning. And if that move wasn't bold enough, Jones also noted that he financed his home to keep creative control of the film in his hands, allowing him to cast Aramayo — and virtually whoever he wanted — for the project.
Luckily for Aramayo, the move paid off, with the film seeing success in the U.K. and Europe, and is now releasing in the U.S. His house, however, is another story, and one Kirk admitted he didn't want to talk about.
Kirk Jones: I felt like it was validated on day one. In order to keep creative control and to cast whoever I wanted, I ended up having to put my house on the line and fully finance the film. That meant I could go to the people who were right for the film instead of feeling like I had to please financiers. That's why I spoke to my casting director and had a great relationship with her. That's why she said, 'Robert Aramayo, you have to look at him.' That's why, when we talked about putting him on tape, Rob felt that all he would be able to deliver was an impersonation of John Davidson. What he really wanted was three months of research before he even showed anything to anyone. And because there were no financiers breathing down my neck, I was able to cast him, and he was brilliant and amazing, and as no one else would've been as good, but also, I felt that it was a fair comment, and I did trust him. And I didn't really see him perform until day one.
ScreenRant also spoke to Aramayo, who detailed the process of preparing for a role that saw him not only play a real person, but one who is still very much alive and well, and in the midst of his activism to this day. When asked how he approached having an empathetic lens towards John Davidson and the film overall, Aramayo said he largely leaned on John himself to bring I Swear to life.
Aramayo Leaned On John Davidson To Prepare For Biopic
Aramayo is no stranger to playing roles based on real people, including a Young Bill Clinton in season 3 of The Crown during his time as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. He also played serial killer Ed Kemper in Mindhunter, but I Swear presented a different set of challenges — and a different opportunity — with Aramayo noting that John was a big part of the process when it came to getting the specific moves and mannerisms down of someone living with Tourette's.
Robert Aramayo: I just think when you're creating a character, you look at all of the tools that you have at your disposal. And one great thing that I had to work on John, was John. So I mean, I don't think that I look at it as sort of structured as that. Maybe it's just what is available to you. What do you think this process needs, and how can you get there with everything that you can use? I was really thankful that I had John as a resource because he's so amazing and forthcoming and empathetic, and was really a big part of the process.
And it turned out to be vital for Aramayo's performance, winning him a BAFTA in the Best Actor in a Leading Role category. The film also won the award for Best Casting for Lauren Evans and was nominated in several other categories, including Outstanding British Film and Original Screenplay. As for the incident that took place at the award show, where Davidson was in attendance to celebrate the film, both Aramayo and Jones told ScreenRant they hope that this new swath of audiences watching the film in the U.S. will walk away from the biopic having a little more compassion for those living with Tourette's.
Kirk Jones: I defy anyone to watch the film and then say they still don't really understand it, or they think people with Tourette's can control it, or they can control what they say, or it's what they really feel. It's impossible for you to watch the film and still feel like that at the end. I hope what we have is a really entertaining film. It's a roller-coaster of emotions. It's really, really funny, really emotionally engaging. It's really inspiring and uplifting. But at the same time, I know people will leave the cinema thinking, "Do you know what? Actually, I think I've probably learned quite a lot about Tourette's accidentally while I was being entertained."
Robert Aramayo: I just think it brings home something that's been said to both of us, which is ignore the ticks, but not the person. I think that we focused on the person when telling this film, and that was his emotionality, his emotional experience, and who he is as a person, and how he grows and gets older and deals with things is just as interesting as any other element that John's like.
I Swear is in theaters now.
Cast
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Maxine Peake Dottie Achenbach -
John Davidson -
Peter Mullan Tommy Trotter -
Shirley Henderson Heather Davidson
Writers Kirk Jones Producers Piers Tempest, Kirk Jones, Georgia Bayliff Expand Collapse
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