'This story resonates anywhere in the world’: Maxine Peake on Tourette’s syndrome biopic film
Robert Aramayo as John Davidson and Maxine Peake as Dottie Achenbach in I Swear
Scottish campaigner John Davidson MBE was first diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome at the age of 15 in the late 1980s, a time when little was known about the condition.
In 1989, he became the subject of the BBC documentary John’s Not Mad, which explores the manifestations of Tourette’s syndrome that he lived with, followed by several BBC follow-up films throughout his life.
The 54-year-old Galashiels native has since become a nationally recognised ambassador for greater understanding of Tourette’s Syndrome. In 2019, he was awarded an MBE in recognition of his efforts to increase understanding of the condition and to help families deal with it across the country.
Now a comedy-drama film, I Swear, starring Robert Aramayo as Davidson, charts his journey from a misunderstood teenager in Eighties Britain to a present-day advocate for the understanding and acceptance of Tourette’s syndrome.
Written and directed by Waking Ned creator Kirk Jones, the film also stars Maxine Peake as mental-health nurse Dottie Achenbach; Shirley Henderson as Davidson’s mother, Heather and Peter Mullan as Tommy Trotter, the man who gives him his first job.
Peake, 51, says she was “starstruck” when she met Davidson in person while preparing for the role.
“I have to admit, I was a bit starstruck meeting John,” admits the Bolton-born actress.
“I remember watching the documentary John’s Not Mad when I was probably finishing primary school or just starting secondary.
“Later, when I was doing Shameless, one of the characters, Marty, played by Jack Deam, who played my brother, had Tourette’s, and he said his inspiration was the John Davidson documentary.
“It was actually my birthday about a month later, and Jack bought me the follow-up documentary.
“So I’ve always felt like John’s been part of my world somehow. When I finally met him, it was a bit surreal, like meeting someone you’ve known your whole life.
“It was such a special experience, one I’ll probably never get the chance to have again.” She adds: “This film is about an extraordinary young man who grows up into adulthood living with Tourette’s. But it’s not just about that. It’s about his life, his experiences, his humanity. And that makes it universal. This story resonates anywhere in the world.” Henderson, 59, says she has empathy for Heather Davidson, who was portrayed as a cold person, as her son’s condition profoundly affected her.
“She was one of the first to really deal with him, and it must have been such a terrible shock to realise that what she’d thought was just a bit of madness at the dinner table one day was actually something that kept repeating over and over. It wasn’t just a little phase,” explains the Fife-born actress.
“I think it changed her. It made her sad. She seemed to lose her sense of humour over time. As his condition grew more intense, it was as if she was slowly losing herself too, even though she was still trying so hard to be a mum, to hold on to the other kids, to keep things normal and fun.
“In the documentary, you can still see her trying, trying to laugh, trying to make things okay. But bit by bit, everything just seemed to weigh her down. You can see it; she’s crushed, sinking under it all. And you can’t help but wonder: how do you ever get back up from that?” Aramayo, 32, who is best known for portraying young Ned Stark in Game of Thrones, says he based himself in Galashiels for a while to be close to Davidson while preparing for the role.
“John is such an educator,” says the Hull-born actor.
“He’s constantly teaching those around him about Tourette’s, sometimes in small, subtle ways, and sometimes in much bigger ways. When you first meet him, he’s very happy to start showing you and explaining things, and for me personally, that was amazing.
“The more time I spent with him, I based myself in Galashiels for a while, the more I learned about John. Tourette’s is a big part of his personality, of course, but there’s so much more to him. He’s a complicated guy, an amazing man, really empathetic.
“I really enjoyed my time with him. Spending extended time with John allowed me to just hang out, really, to see him in all kinds of different situations and circumstances. That kind of immersion was invaluable.” He adds: “When I was preparing, I focused mainly on John, but I also reached out through Tourette Scotland, who were fantastic.
“They helped me connect with other people living with Tourette’s in different ways, and I learned so much from those conversations. I also did a lot of reading, there are so many books and theories about triggers and the condition itself. ” Mullan, 65, says his real-life character Trotter is the person who first gave John a chance by employing him as a caretaker at Galashiels Community Centre.
“He never saw himself as a father figure or anything like that, more of a workmate, a colleague,” explains the Aberdeenshire-born actor.
“But what’s really charming about him, when you watch him, is his total lack of judgment. And it’s genuine. It’s not like he’s putting it on for the cameras, being kind while people are watching and then acting differently afterward. You can tell, it’s real.
“He knows when to step in and when not to. He understands what’s part of the condition and what’s just someone being cheeky, and he handles both with real humanity. You get the sense, watching him, that he’s just a decent man. And that’s what John connects with, that decency, that lack of pretence.
“He gave him that chance.”
- I Swear is in cinemas now
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