The annoying reason Robert Aramayo won't win an Oscar for ‘incredible’ performance in I Swear
Robert Aramayo won a BAFTA, but an Oscar could be out of the picture
I Swear is the number one movie on Netflix, just a day after it arrived on the streaming platform. Everyone has hailed Robert Aramayo – but powers beyond his control will stop him from winning an Oscar for his performance.
The acclaimed movie follows the true story of John Davidson (played by Aramayo), who starts experiencing tics as a teenager. As he grows up, he tries (and often struggles) to deal with having Tourette’s, and he eventually decides to educate others about the condition.
It was one of the best movies of 2025; even now, it still has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Following Aramayo’s BAFTA win, it’s available to stream on Netflix now. Alas, the star isn’t heading towards Oscar glory.
Why Robert Aramayo didn’t get an Oscar nomination for I Swear
Robert Aramayo didn’t get a nomination for this year’s Oscars, nor did I Swear get nominated in any category.
Why? Because, annoyingly, the movie wasn’t eligible to compete at the Academy Awards.
I Swear still hasn’t been released in North America, and it won’t hit cinemas across the pond until April 24, 2026. As outlined by the Academy, eligible motion pictures must have been made available for paid admission in a major US area (like Los Angeles or New York) and had a theatrical qualifying run.
Also, films that have been first distributed to the public in any other way than a theatrical release aren’t eligible either.
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The latter isn’t true of I Swear (it was released in UK cinemas in October last year). Unfortunately, the first rule has stopped it from being an Oscars contender.
Could Robert Aramayo win an Oscar next year?
In theory, yes: I Swear will be eligible for the 2027 Oscars, so Robert Aramayo could win. However, it’s extraordinarily unlikely.
Firstly, I Swear has already been swept up in this year’s award season discussions. Even though it was never eligible in the first place, it’ll probably be misremembered as a snub.
Who's been nominated for Best Actor at the 2026 Oscars?
- Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
- Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
- Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
- Michael B Jordan, Sinners
- Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
Secondly, given its specificity to the UK and the fact it’s already enjoyed a wave of positive publicity, the chances of it sustaining that from a North American theatrical run are slim. There will be a fresh crop of Oscar contenders next year: I Swear’s familiarity is a huge disadvantage.
Thirdly, as some people have speculated online, the incident with John Davidson’s tics at the BAFTAs may have cast too large a shadow over the film’s future successes (regardless of how unfair that is).
I Swear fans wish it could win Oscars
Nevertheless, fans who’ve discovered I Swear hope it’ll be rewarded.
“A surprising Oscar snub. Hope it gets hyped up even more,” one user wrote.
“Just finally got to watch I Swear there on Netflix. An absolutely incredible film. Everyone needs to watch this,” another commented.
“Have just seen #ISwear. It really is the most awesome film & I’m now an emotional wreck… shame on the #Oscar committee’s disregard,” a third wrote.
“I Swear is eligible for next year’s Oscars, so maybe we’ll be talking about him again next season, in a role that he already won a very important precursor,” another speculated.
However, another fan warned: “Definitely some uncharted territory but I find it hard to think there will be anymore buzz for that film and performance than there has been this past week.”
Read more: The best movies on Netflix right now
