Filmmaker Kirk Jones was so confident Robert Aramayo was the actor to portray Scottish Tourette’s activist John Davidson in “I Swear” that he bet the house on him — literally. The director behind “Waking Ned Devine” and “Nanny McPhee” was determined to produce the film independently so there wouldn’t be too much interference, including when it came to casting. “My wife and I  had just sold our house and we were about to buy another,” Jones reveals. “I realized that if they took everything we had and we borrowed more, they could lend me the cost of the film. And my wife, who is an angel, said, ‘If you feel passionately about about it, let’s do it.’ ”

The gamble paid off, with the biopic becoming a hit in the U.K. and landing five BAFTA nominations. It won Best Casting for Lauren Evans and Best Actor for Aramayo, over Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet, Ethan Hawke and Michael B. Jordan. (Those wins weren’t overshadowed by the outrage over Davidson’s audible tics during the ceremony, with criticism ultimately being leveled at BAFTA and the BBC for failing to edit the broadcast of the pre-taped ceremony, as agreed.)

Aramyao also received the BAFTA  Rising Star Award, whose previous recipients include Tom Holland, Daniel Kaluuya and Kristen Stewart. The film opens in the U.S. April 24.

It’s been a wild ride for the actor, best known for his current role as Elrond on Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” Perhaps even more valuable than the accolades, Aramayo is thrilled that the film is educating audiences about Tourette’s, the neurological disorder that causes involuntary actions, vocalizations and tics. “I met so amazing people with comorbidities and neurodiverse conditions like Tourette’s that tell you just how complex it really is,” Aramayo says. “I learned so much and feel so passionate about letting people know about it.”

While not shying away from the difficulties of living with Tourette’s, the film is also laugh-out-loud funny and a loving ode to chosen family. Aramayo was instantly taken by Jones’ script and even more excited following a Zoom with the filmmaker. “The way he spoke about the film and what he wanted to do with it was so exciting to me,” he reveals. And then he met Davidson himself. “It’s hard to meet John and not want to be involved, because he’s an amazing man.”

Davidson’s battle with Tourette’s was first chronicled when he was a teenager in the 1989 documentary short “John’s Not Mad,” one of several works that Aramayo studied as he began preparing for the role. In addition to reading books and watching videos about Tourette’s, he traveled to Davidson’s small town of Galashiels and “just sort of followed John around.”

He watched Davidson’s daily life and met his friends and family, including those portrayed in the movie. He also worked with a movement coach. “John is a much different man than me, he has a lower center of gravity and he moves through the world in a particular way,” notes the actor. “But mostly I focused on his emotional mind, how John felt, without trying to be too prescriptive about the physical.”

Aramayo says Davidson, an executive producer on the film, was deeply involved with the production. “He was part of every layer, constantly offering thoughts on the script,” Aramayo says. “That made me feel even more confident and comfortable about the authenticity we were portraying.”

The film also cast around 30 actors with Tourette’s, an experience the actor says was unforgettable. And despite the tight budget and often challenging material, the experience was remarkable. “The entire set was created with such care,” he notes. “We were all so close and I was so thankful for all the support — there was truly a lot of joy in making the film.”