Sharon KnightA 13-year-old boy with Tourette’s syndrome has said making his big screen debut in a film about the condition made him “less nervous, because I knew there were people like me”.
Dexter, from Sale, travelled to Scotland last summer to film his scenes in the film I Swear, a biopic of John Davidson, a campaigner with Tourette’s syndrome who rose to fame aged 17 in a 1989 documentary about his life called John’s Not Mad.
Filming on set was the first time Dexter had the chance to meet other children and adults with the condition.
The young actor who appeared in the film as a member of a Tourette’s support group said: “It was relieving I guess because it shows I can live a normal life with this.”
Tourette’s syndrome is an incurable condition that causes someone to make sudden, repetitive sounds or movements, known as tics, according to the NHS.
I Swear, released in 2025, is based on Davidson’s life in his home town of Galashiels in the Scottish Borders and the aftermath of his appearance in the 1989 documentary where he became a ‘reluctant poster boy’ for the condition.
‘Upside down’
Dexter was diagnosed with the neurological condition at the age of 11 and his mum Sharon Knight said her first response to this was “I just wanted to know how to get rid of it”.
“All his movements he’s had since he was about three, and it wasn’t till he was 11 when he went to secondary school that the vocal tics came out and that is where everything went upside down.”
Sharon KnightThe team behind I Swear worked with the charity Tourettes Action to find young actors with the condition to audition for the film.
Dexter said: “I was nervous because I thought I wouldn’t get in because I was ticcing too much that I couldn’t read the lines or that I wasn’t reading them properly or something because I’ve never done acting before.”
Despite his fears, the teenager got the call to say that he had been cast in the film and travelled to Scotland a few weeks later to begin filming.
‘Harsh reality’
The condition has had a huge impact on Dexter’s life as it has made him “uncomfortable to go outside in public places”, he said.
“I used to not be able to go outside when I had swearing tics and some people gave me weird looks.”
Dexter’s mum Sharon said the film does not shy away from the harsh reality of living with Tourette’s, and felt that was important to show.
“We had a big fear of him going out. When watching the film, he realised what I meant. “
A Tourettes Action spokesman said the syndrome is widely misunderstood, and the charity has praised I Swear for tackling those misconceptions.
The charity’s chief executive officer Emma McNally said: “People often think it’s humorous, the butt line of jokes, it’s not that important. They don’t see the other sides of it.
“This film has done it perfectly. It’s enabled people to actually see the day-to-day lives of people with Tourette’s, what happens, the stigma that they face on a daily basis. It’s just been huge.”