Acting With Tourette's

Posted Wed 3rd Sep 2025 at 09:00
by Toby McLellan

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I remember my first experience of acting in front of a camera, I was so nervous that everyone would see my tics and I would be written off as an actor forever. To my surprise, there were no shrugs, flicks or jerks, just me acting my lines; I couldn’t believe it!

I am so used to having tics that I couldn’t tell when they were no longer there. It gave me hope that my dream of becoming an actor might be possible. In 2020, I was off to drama school, after being accepted to The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. This presented a new challenge, having to explain to one person that you have Tourette’s can be daunting enough, I was about to begin my first year with a whole new group of people and I felt that I had to prove to my new classmates and teachers that I wasn’t going to be held back by my Tourette’s.

It turns out that when I act, I don’t experience my tics, when I’m on a stage or behind a camera I have a moment of rest, perhaps that’s why I’ve always enjoyed performing, it felt freeing. I felt the sensation of being in control of my own body and for someone with Tourette syndrome, that sensation felt like gold dust.

As freeing as not experiencing tics does feel, however, I find another sensation even better; Being proud. Not feeling ashamed to have Tourette’s has been a difficult journey and something that I have only recently started feeling. The stigma and misunderstanding that surrounds the condition makes it tricky at times to feel confident about myself, but what acting and being creative can do, and has done for me, has made me feel empowered.

Despite the challenges, I am able to make something that reflects the person behind the tics, and although my life can be chaotic, tiring and stressful due to having Tourette’s…that’s showbiz baby and I love it!

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