Standing Up for Difference

Peter Mullan has underscored the enduring relevance of tolerance and empathy, warning against rising intolerance in public life as he promoted his latest film I Swear in London.

Appearing at the film’s UK premiere on Monday, 29 September, the veteran actor spoke to The Independent about the themes underpinning the drama, which revisits the 1980s and centres on his portrayal of Tommy Trotter, a compassionate schoolteacher who becomes an early mentor to Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson. Mullan framed the story as a rebuttal to modern political narratives that thrive on division, arguing that public discourse is increasingly shaped by voices eager to stigmatise difference rather than understand it.

Reflecting on the film’s wider message, Mullan said: “If there’s anything to be taken from this film it’s tolerance, and not judge people according to what they say but what they do.” He expanded on the idea by linking the film’s period setting to the present day, suggesting that the pressure to assign blame to those deemed “different” remains a powerful—and dangerous—force.

The film’s focus on Tourette’s syndrome places it within a longer continuum of awareness and advocacy, stretching back to the work of French neurologist Georges Gilles de la Tourette, whose 19th-century research first defined the condition, and forward to contemporary disability-rights voices who continue to challenge social prejudice. Within that context, I Swear positions personal connection and education as quiet but potent counterweights to intolerance.

Co-star Shirley Henderson echoed the film’s inclusive spirit during the premiere, reinforcing the idea that diversity, rather than conformity, gives stories—and societies—their depth.