Tilda Swinton says she slapped friend who called her English instead of Scottish

Tilda Swinton has admitted she once “slapped” a friend and colleague after he mistakenly referred to her as “English”.

The Hollywood star was filming the 1992 film Orlando when the incident occurred.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Swinton was reminded of the story by the interviewer, who said that , when a mutual American friend had “erroneously referred to Swinton as English rather than British or Scottish, she responded by slapping him”.

Swinton replied, “Well, I’ll slap myself on the back for that now,” adding, “I mean, he should know better.

“And you know these Americans: you’ve got to teach them. Quite right!”

Although Swinton, who speaks with an English accent, was born in London and attended various English schools, the arthouse actor describes her nationality as Scottish.

The daughter of Scottish aristocrat Sir John Swinton of Kimmerghame and granddaughter of Scottish politician George Swinton, the Oscar winner spent much of her childhood north of the border and has lived in the Highlands since 1997.

Her “Scottishness” has been called in question before; in 2018, Trainspotting star Kelly Macdonald accused Swinton of being too “posh” to be Scottish and said she was “really English”.

“I have a problem with people that are Scottish but don’t sound it,” Macdonald said on US television. “I get very, very confused. She’s posh Scottish. Posh Scottish people are really English. I am not posh.”

Swinton defended her Scottish identity, telling the BBC that she had never considered herself British or English and had pledged her support for Scottish independence.

“I have lived in Scotland full-time for the last 20 years, I was brought up in Scotland through my childhood, I am from a family that has lived in Scotland for centuries.

“I have never felt English, and I have never felt British, politically.

“I am happy to describe myself as Scottish and I feel, like many people, that Scotland is a naturally independent country.”