‘I can’t believe this!’ Hull actor Robert Aramayo wins two BAFTAs

DOUBLE BAFTA WINNER: Robert Aramayo. Robert Aramayo picture credit: BB Entertainment

By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor

Hull actor Robert Aramayo stunned himself and the rest of the film industry last night with the incredible achievement of winning two BAFTAs.

Aramayo, 33, caused one of the biggest upsets of the night when he was named Best Actor for his performance in I Swear – beating favourite Timothee Chalamet as well as Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke and Michael B Jordan.

He had earlier won the EE BAFTA Rising Star award, the only BAFTA voted for by the public.

Shocked and tearful, Aramayo hugged his father Mike before taking the stage at the Royal Festival Hall in London, where he declared: “Absolute madness!” to loud cheers and applause.

He continued: “Wow. I absolutely can’t believe this. I can’t believe that I’m looking at people like you, in the same category as you, never mind that I’m stood here.”

After thanking people and organisations who had worked on the film and people he met researching the part, he said: “Everyone in this category blows me away. And when I was in school, I’ve said this a million times, but when I was in school Ethan Hawke came in to speak to us at Julliard [acting school in New York] and he gave an amazing talk on longevity as an actor, about protecting your instrument and avoiding self-destructive behaviours.

“It had a great impact on everyone in that room, so to be in this category with you tonight is incredible. Thank you, Ethan.”

I Swear was nominated in five categories and also won the prize for casting.

The film is based on the true story of John Davidson, a man with severe Tourette’s syndrome who grew up in Scotland in the 1980s when the condition was poorly understood.

Aramayo’s other credits include playing the young Eddard Stark in the sixth and seventh seasons of Game of Thrones, starring in the psychological thriller Behind Her Eyes, and playing Elrond in Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

He is a former pupil of Cavendish Primary School, Malet Lambert Secondary School, and also studied at Wyke College and Hull Truck Youth Theatre before winning a place at Julliard School.