An actress determined to swim against all odds

Annette Bening grew up in San Diego, near the beach, and the sea was always a familiar figure. That’s why he couldn’t resist the temptation when, during the pandemic, he was offered to recreate Diana Nyad, Marathon runner who united Cuba and Key West After swimming 53 hours, at the age of 64.

Annette Bening loves provocative and intelligent roles, and lauds that Hollywood is finally starting to create good opportunities for actresses her age.

She turns 65 this year and is grateful to have made a new friend, the talented Jodie Foster (60), whom she started meeting when they filmed the movie together. Naiad (Netflix). Jodi as Bonnie Stoll, Diana’s best friend and coach. since then The actresses became inseparable.

“I know it’s going to sound silly, but I ended up agreeing to play Diana and suddenly realized what I’d gotten myself into. My first impulse was to want to make a tutorial on YouTube, but it was clear I wasn’t going to be able to do it,” Annette laughs. For his candor while giving an interview in Los Angeles.

I read the sports book on which the movie is based, Find a solutionAlso listen to his columns on NPR Public Radio. But from there to Swimming in the open sea as an expert was another story.

It wasn’t in the open sea, of course, but in a huge water tank with an infinity pool in the Dominican Republic.

But it took a year of training with an Olympic swimmer to perform the long stroke, which he needed to perform a thousand times during filming.

It turns out that Annette Bening is a perfectionist and didn’t want the two operations to double the production assigned to her to replace her. He spent up to five hours in the water, reproducing those movements over and over again.

She had to learn from the beginning that to swim 177 kilometers without a break, an athlete must rely more on the strength of her arms and torso than her legs. He started memorizing many songs to find a rhythm. Some 80s songs from Diana Nyad’s playlist are featured in the film: Simon and Garfunkelroy Orbison, Neil Young. Your friends are in the dark.

“Now I have an addiction to swimming,” Benning admits. “I like to be allowed to silence my thoughts, and there comes that moment when you just feel at peace.”

What did you like about the project directed by two Oscar-winning documentary filmmakers? free single (Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi), here making their feature directorial debut. And also that The story will be about the power of will and the power of friendship.. “There is nothing better than the story of a mature woman who wants to reinvent herself. Very inspiring.”

In the 1970s, Nyad triumphed in swimming, and after failing to cross from Cuba to the United States, she retired for 30 years to devote herself to working as a sports commentator on radio and television.

But when he turned sixty, in 2010, he decided to dust off his old dream He attempted the feat again, this time without the shark-proof cage that caused her to fail on her first attempt. She and a team of specialists who accompanied her and Bonnie aboard the Voyager ship were able to reach shore in Key West. This is the story these two stars tell Naiad.

For Jodie Foster, Bonnie Stoll is the person you want to go through a storm with because you know she will stay calm and in control of the situation, whether it involves sharks or strong ocean currents.

When they told him he would be working with Annette Bening, he didn’t think about it for a moment. He only knew her from a distance at a party, but mutual friends told him that when he worked with her he would love her.

Annette continues the story. “When they told me about Jodie I thought, ‘Oh come on, she could play Diana, why would I want a supporting role?’ But He doesn’t have an ounce of ego“It was a pleasure to see his method in person.”

Jodie Foster may actually be nominated for an Oscar (she already has two) as supporting actress for this role. Annette, who has been nominated 4 times, has more competition. we will see.