ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke with Nyad directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin as well as Bonnie Stoll, who is played by Jodie Foster in the film, about the swimming biopic. The film is now streaming on Netflix.
“A remarkable true story of tenacity, friendship and the triumph of the human spirit, NYAD recounts a riveting chapter in the life of world-class athlete Diana Nyad,” reads the film‘s synopsis for the film. “Three decades after giving up marathon swimming in exchange for a prominent career as a sports journalist, at the age of 60, Diana (four-time Academy Award nominee Annette Bening) becomes obsessed with completing an epic swim that always eluded her: the 110-mile trek from Cuba to Florida, often referred to as the ‘Mount Everest’ of swims. Determined to become the first person to finish the swim without a shark cage, Diana goes on a thrilling, four-year journey with her best friend and coach Bonnie Stoll (two-time Academy Award winner Jodie Foster) and a dedicated sailing team.”
Tyler Treese: What about this specific story really spoke to you and made you want to do a narrative film rather than a documentary?
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi: Jimmy and I have always been interested in those stories about individuals who pushed the limits of possibility. But after Free Solo, Meru, and The Rescue, we were curious about what’s that experience like for a woman. So when we received the script for Nyad, we had this moment of like, “Diana Nyad is just that — she’s unafraid of her own ambition.”
She’s not afraid to want something. She’s not afraid to pursue her dreams. It also presented a very special opportunity to create two rich roles for female actors of a certain age. That is something that I haven’t seen enough of on-screen, so I think that all of that is why we wanted to make the film.
I have to ask about Annette Bening, because her performance in the lead role is very physical and she’s such a pro. What really stood out about how she approached this role? You can tell she really threw herself into it.
Jimmy Chin: I think the first thing that I think of when I think of Annette is class. She’s the classiest. She also is hugely committed to her roles. She trained for a year with an ex-Olympic swimmer for this role. She was truly passionate about it. She swam every day. She wanted her stroke to be perfect. That’s what she did.
When she showed up on our first day on set, it was kind of our safety day. All the stunt team was there, and she started swimming across the tank. Our jaws dropped. I mean, she transformed her body, she transformed her stroke. It’s just a testament to what she brings to the table and, of course, also her performance.
Bonnie, I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to watch this film and see these amazing moments in your life played out. The fact that Jodi Foster plays you, too — how surreal was this whole experience of seeing such an amazing actress portray you?
Bonnie Stoll: Humbling for sure. Surreal is the correct word. The entire process, even this process, is so surreal for me. Jodi got it. I really believed I was watching myself on screen the first time I saw the movie and she continues to just knock it out of the park. Really just fabulous.
I think that what comes across for me as a spectator was the idea of team. The two actresses, the two directors, the music, the stunts, the underwater camera, the producers — it was almost like watchin a Super Bowl champion team, because they really became a team. They all worked together and that was a pleasure for me to watch.
