She didn’t quite make it and after one last record-breaking swim, she retired at 30.
And there area lotof water scenes.
“The whole water safety team is there, the stunt people are there.
Annette Bening as Diana Nyad in ‘Nyad’.Netflix
And when she swam, it was like awe.
“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.
Jodie Foster as Bonnie Stoll in ‘Nyad’.Kimberley French/Netflix
They were consummate professionals.
We felt very lucky.
And it was kind of like, ‘Don’t mess it up.'”
Jodie Foster and Annette Bening on the set of ‘Nyad’.Kimberley French/Netflix
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.
Diana Nyad in 2013.D Dipasupil/FilmMagic
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’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.
And thankfully, I was working with actors who liked to rehearse.
They kind of did that research together [they put in] a lot of time.
But they actually were just acquaintances.
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.
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.
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.
What do you hope audiences take away from the movie and from Diana’s story?
