“Sinners” production designer Hannah Beachler addressed the controversy surrounding Tourette syndrome activist and “I Swear” subject John Davidson’s involuntary use of the N-word at Sunday’s BAFTAs, calling the situation “almost impossible.”
“I keep trying to write about what happened at the BAFTAs, and I can’t find the words. The situation is almost impossible, but it happened three times that night, and one of the three times was directed at myself on the way to dinner after the show and a third time at a Black woman,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “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,” Beachler continued. “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.”
Her late Sunday comments came after Davidson used the slur as a tic while “Sinners” stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented onstage at the awards show in London. Host Alan Cumming subsequently thanked the audience for understanding the complicated nuance surrounding the man’s condition.
Lindo himself acknowledged the unfortunate circumstances at Warner Bros.’ afterparty, telling Vanity Fair that he and co-star Jordan “did what we had to do,” although they wish “someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterward.”
“You may have noticed some strong language in the background there, this can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience,” he told the crowd. “Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.”
Davidson is the subject of biographical dramedy “I Swear,” which won Best Casting and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Robert Aramayo at the ceremony. Beachler and Monique Champagne were also nominated for Best Production Design, though lost to “Frankenstein.”
The BBC is set to remove the audio from the taping on iPlayer after leaving it in the initial broadcast and then removing the ceremony from the streamer entirely.
