Actor Robert Aramayo has spoken candidly about his latest film role, which may prove to be his most demanding performance yet, reports the Daily Record.

The 33 year old star, recognised for his work in Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, has embraced a distinctly different character this time around, appearing alongside Outlander: Blood of My Blood’s Peter Mullan, Netflix’s Dept Q star Shirley Henderson and The Village’s Maxine Peake.

The East Riding, Yorkshire native plays real-life Tourette’s activist John Davidson in Kirk Jones’ poignant drama I Swear, documenting his difficult upbringing in 1980s Galashiels, Scotland as he struggled with his Tourette’s symptoms and campaigned to increase understanding of the neurological disorder despite facing considerable hostility and even physical attacks.

Speaking exclusively to Reach Screen Time, Aramayo revealed how intimidating he found the character, which demanded both a Scottish accent and an authentic portrayal of Tourette’s tics.

He said: “The whole thing, yeah really, really scary but we had this amazing crew, [Jones] put together these amazing people, who were just so open and so creative and so supportive to whatever was happening on set. And so, I just felt incredibly supported by them.

“It honestly really helped me and I don’t think I’ve ever quite felt that way about a crew that have helped me so much.”

He continued, explaining that “all” aspects of the role proved “really challenging” due to the complex nature of Tourette’s Syndrome. Before cameras rolled, Aramayo dedicated time to meeting the real Davidson, building a rapport with him and gaining insight into Tourette’s syndrome and how the campaigner responded to various circumstances.

Director Jones, whose previous credits include Waking Ned and What to Expect When You’re Expecting, revealed the casting process behind Aramayo’s selection: “I’ll be honest, I wasn’t familiar with all of [Aramayo’s] work, so I relied on my casting director Lauren Evans.”

Evans encouraged Jones to view several of the actor’s previous projects, with Aramayo’s turn in Netflix’s psychological thriller Behind Her Eyes proving instrumental in securing him the role.

“It wasn’t the Scottish accent, it wasn’t the look, there was just an instinct there that meant that he could be really, really special and really great in the role,” Jones explained.

Discussing Aramayo’s portrayal, particularly the Tourette’s tics, Jones revealed he would “always listen” to the performer’s intuition and made modifications during filming.

Jones noted that Aramayo had enquired early in production whether the director anticipated him to tic “exactly where you’ve written the tics” and swiftly confirmed this wasn’t required, stating “because it’s Tourette’s, it comes out of nowhere, it’s like lightning”.

“So [Aramayo] delivered some scripted tics and then we would do some more takes and he would throw in some stuff as it came to him and when it came to him, which was really interesting to see the other actors respond to that. They didn’t quite know what was coming next, which, of course, is exactly what Tourette’s Syndrome is,” Jones said.

I SWEAR is available to buy and rent from digital platforms now and will be available to own on Blu-ray and DVD from December 29