He is up against Leondardo Dicaprio and Timothée Chalamet
Robert Aramayo at the 2025 BIFA ceremony at the Roundhouse in London(Image: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publis)
Hull-born star Robert Aramayo has been announced as one of the six nominees for leading actor in this year’s BAFTAs. He will be facing off against big name talent, including Leondardo Dicaprio and Timothée Chalamet.
Aramayo’s critically acclaimed performance as Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson MBE in I Swear has also seen him nominated for the BAFTA Rising Star Award.
The 33-year-old, who was a member of Hull Truck Youth Theatre before winning a place Julliard in New York, previously won the BIFA for Best Lead Performance. I Swear charts the life of John – from being a bullied teenager shamed for his involuntary tics, to campigning for Tourette’s awareness and receiving his honour from The Queen.
In total, I Swear, directed, written, and produced by Kirk Jones, has received six nominations: Outstanding British film, leading actor (Aramayo), supporting actor (Peter Mullen), original screenplay, casting, and rising star award (Aramayo).
Leading actor nominations BAFTA 2026:
- Robert Aramayo – I Swear
- Timothee Chalamet – Marty Supreme
- Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
- Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
- Michael B Jordan – Sinners
- Jesse Plemons – Bugonia
While most of the winners will be decided by BAFTA judges, with the Rising Star Award the British public can vote. Anyone who votes is automatically entered into a prize draw to win two tickets to the BAFTA Film Awards ceremony on Sunday, February 22, 2026.
Voting is open now on the BAFTA Rising Star Awards website. The prize draw to win tickets to the awards ceremony closes on Thursday, February 12, at 12pm midday.
A bio for Robert Aramayo on the Bafta Rising Star awards website describes him as “a British actor from Hull and a graduate of The Juilliard School”.
It adds: “He stars in Kirk Jones’ film I Swear, inspired by Tourette Syndrome advocate J. Davidson, which premiered at the 2025 Toronto Film Festival and earned him the BIFA for Best Lead Performance.
“He also appears in Annemarie Jacir’s Palestine 36, which was shortlisted for Best International Film for the 98th Academy Awards. On television, he is known for playing Elrond in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.”