How “Nyad” star Annette Bening and the filmmakers weathered a storm for inspiring long-distance swim
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In 1978, when she was 28, Diana Nyad attempted the historic swim from Havana, Cuba to Key West, Fl., a distance of 110 miles. She didn't quite make it — and after one last record-breaking swim, she retired at 30.
But she never let go of the Cuba to Florida swim, and at the age of 60 she came out of retirement to try and try…and try and try again, finally achieving the superhuman feat at the age of 64 in 2013, on her fifth attempt.
Annette Bening trained for a year to get into swimming shape for Nyad, which co-director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi credits for enabling her and co-director/husband Jimmy Chin to film all those water scenes in the first place. And there are a lot of water scenes.
Netflix Annette Bening as Diana Nyad in 'Nyad'
"I'll never forget the first time [Bening] got in the water," Vasarhelyi tells EW. "The whole water safety team is there, the stunt people are there. And when she swam, it was like awe. We all had wonder and awe because her ability to stay in the water and stay in the water for hours allowed us really to shoot the material we needed given the time constraints and just the realities of a production day."
Vasarhelyi and Chin's résumés are full of documentaries (together, they won an Oscar in 2019 for Free Solo), but this is their first narrative feature. Meaning it was also their first time directing actors — their cast also includes Jodie Foster as Diana's best friend and coach Bonnie Stoll — and they couldn't have had a better initiation.
"We kind of hit the jackpot when Annette Bening agreed to play the role of Diana because she not only did the training for the physical part, but she also was not afraid to lean in to the complexity of the character," Vasarhelyi says.
"And that was really a gift," she continues. "It's really Jodie's support and friendship that provides the beating heart of this film, ultimately. They were consummate professionals. It's not lost on me that there were these two incredibly accomplished actors who are also mothers who are also just showing up every day. We felt lucky. We felt very lucky. And it was kind of like, 'Don't mess it up.'"
Here, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi discusses working with the two acting icons and bringing Diana Nyad's incredible story to cinematic life.
Kimberley French/Netflix Jodie Foster as Bonnie Stoll in 'Nyad'
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Was there one scene that was the most challenging for you to film?
ELIZABETH CHAI VASARHELYI: The storm was very, very challenging. We were shooting nights at the time. And I'll never forget, we were testing these dump tanks. You dump water, essentially, on Jodie Foster. We normally use a body double for figuring out the shot. And we were watching it on the monitors, and then the dump tank went, and the body double went flying off the boat. And we're like, "I really hope Jodie didn't see that." And she's like, "I'm right behind you."
Seeing Annette Bening and Jodie Foster together was such a joy to watch. How did you help foster their onscreen dynamic?
We did a lot of script work and prep and a lot of reading of the script. I had worked for Mike Nichols about 20 years ago, so I thought that everyone rehearses because that's the only thing I saw. And thankfully, I was working with actors who liked to rehearse. I think that Annette and Jodie were amazing, and really spent a lot of time with the real Diana Nyad and the real Bonnie Stoll. They kind of did that research together — [they put in] a lot of time.
That also helped foster the relationship between them because you would think that they would be friends, because they're the two scions of Hollywood, of that generation. But they actually were just acquaintances. I remember the first time they sat down together, it was at Annette's apartment in New York, and it was amazing, immediately. It was surreal.
But then as we're walking out, Annette said, "Thank you" to Jodie, and Jodie said, "My pleasure." So it was like you saw the beginning of a friendship, and then it also just continued. Jodie was always very concerned about Annette's well-being in the water because it was really hard.
Kimberley French/Netflix Jodie Foster and Annette Bening on the set of 'Nyad'
One of the things I love about this movie is that it's not a traditional love story, but it's about a friendship between these two older women who happen to be gay. What was important to you about how that friendship was depicted on screen?
Jodie was really valuable, being a gay woman who lives in L.A. of a certain generation. And this idea of chosen family, creating the community that you want, it was important that we got the details right. There was always conversation about this idea of the authenticity of the details and the feelings. And so Bonnie and Diana's friendship is so much more than...it's so much deeper. It extends through time. It's a totally different type of thing, and we tried our best to honor and bring that to life.
D Dipasupil/FilmMagic Diana Nyad in 2013
What do you hope audiences take away from the movie and from Diana's story?
I just hope that Diana and Bonnie's story serves as a reminder that, with the right support, with the right team, it's never too late to pursue your dreams. We're in a moment now where everything seems kind of out of control, and you really don't know how much power you have over your own life. Here's a story of, It's absolutely in your power. It may require some hard growth and evolution, but I'm just happy that we've made a film that kind of allows audiences to walk out of the theater a little inspired.
Nyad hits select theaters on Oct. 20 before streaming on Netflix Nov. 3.
Make sure to check out EW's Fall Movie Preview cover story on The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes — as well as all of our 2023 Fall TV Preview content, releasing through Sept. 29.
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