Alan Cumming issues statement following “trauma triggering” BAFTAs “sh*tshow”
Cumming, like many others, is clearly angry with how the BAFTAs played out.
Mark
Traitors star Alan Cumming has issued a statement following the controversy over the BAFTAs ceremony in London on Sunday, February 22. Cumming was the event’s host of what is the British film industry’s equivalent of the Oscars.
Even if you didn’t catch the show, you know why the event made headlines. John Davidson, a campaigner for those with Tourette’s syndrome, shouted out offensive comments during the show. This included the N-word when Sinners’ actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo took the stage.
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During the event, Cumming explained to the audience the nature of the outbursts and hoped for their understanding. He apologized to anyone who took offense.
The BBC edited out some of Davidson’s shouts. However, it left in the N-word moment. It has apologized, says it was an oversight, and points to the fact that its sound team were working in a truck outside the venue and racing to have the broadcast ready for transmission. The show aired two hours after taking place.
In an Instagram post late last night, Cumming said, “It’s now been a week since I hosted the BAFTAs. What should have been an evening celebrating creativity as well as diversity and inclusion turned into a trauma triggering sh*tshow,” the Scottish star wrote.
“I’m so sorry for all the pain Black people have felt at hearing that word echoed round the world. I’m so sorry the Tourettes community has been reminded of the lack of understanding and tolerance that abounds regarding their condition.”
“The only possible good that could come of this is a reminder that words matter, that rushing to judgment about things of which we are not fully cognisant is folly, that all trauma must be recognised and honoured.”
“We were all let down”
Despite missing the racial slur, the BBC did edit out other insults Davidson shouted. It also cut down the speeches from some recipients. This included a reference to “Free Palestine” made by director Akinola Davies Jr.
Cumming touched on this with his concluding remark, writing, “We were all let down by decisions made to both broadcast slurs and censor free speech. Congratulations to all the artists whose work was overshadowed by the night’s events.”
Davidson was invited to the BAFTAs as a movie about his life, entitled I Swear, was up for several awards. The actor who played Davidson in the movie, Robert Aramayo, won two awards at the event. This included the prestigious Best Actor, beating the likes of Timothée Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
However, the N-word moment went viral and prompted huge backlash. It’s also prompted debates over who is to blame. Most people now realize you cannot blame someone with a disability for how that disability presents itself. At the same time, hearing the N-word remains deeply triggering for many people
Speaking to Variety a couple of days after the event, Davidson said, “I am, and always have been deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning … I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette’s community and to teach empathy, kindness and understanding from others and I will continue to do so. I chose to leave the auditorium early into the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing.”
Delroy Lindo
Delroy Lindo addressed the controversy when he appeared at the NAACP Awards in California on Saturday. The actor, appearing alongside Sinners’ director Ryan Coogler, told the audience, “I’d just like to officially say, I appreciate, we appreciate all the support and love we have been shown in the aftermath of what happened last weekend. It means a lot to us.”
Lindo went on to call it “a classic case of something that could be very negative becoming very positive.”
The BBC has said it is undertaking a “fast-track” investigation into exactly why the moment was broadcast.
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