Annette Bening on the “interesting and complicated” woman at the center of “Nyad” – Contenders Film LA

Annette Bening and director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi jumped into the deep end at Contenders Film: Los Angeles to talk about their Netflix film Nyadand what it meant to her to explore swimming icon Diana Nyad’s world.

“It was very important for us to find the right age,” Vasarhelyi said of Bening and the film documenting Nyad’s efforts to swim from Havana to Key West, Florida in 2013. at age 64. She added, “We wanted an actor who wasn’t afraid to play a complex woman.”

When Bening talked about filming in the water, Vasarhelyi recalled, “It was a moment of surprise when Bening took her water safety test because it looked so effortless, like she was a marathon swimmer.” It is a proof of the great dedication to the craft of a great actor.”

For Bening, the role was more than just riding a pool and doing a few laps.

“It was a big challenge. Then I read it and knew it [co-helmer] Jimmy [Chin] and Chai directed, I immediately said yes,” she said. “The script is great. Impressive. I was touched. I found them so interesting and complicated and I didn’t really know much about them.”

She added: “I really started thinking about swimming and thought, ‘I’m pretty athletic and in pretty good shape and I’ve done a lot of diving, but I’ve never been a distance swimmer.'” It’s in my nature to jump. first and do it then find out. (She worked with former Olympic swimmer Rada Owen on the swimming portions of the film.)

Vasarhelyi said the production hit the jackpot again by bringing in Jodie Foster, recalling how intimidating the process was because they didn’t know if the two-time Oscar winner would agree to be part of the film Nyad’s confidante Diane Stoll . “I mean, first with [Annette], and it was really about how we do the story justice. We pushed ourselves even harder to bring these characters to life.”

Bening also talked about meeting the real Diana Nyad.

“Diana is strong. There is no doubt about it,” she said. “She’s the most interesting person in the room. She is the most energetic and has a great personality. But what interested me when I got to know her was also the softness in her and the part of her that suffers like all of us and the part of her that is insecure. I’m curious to see what part of her feels incompetent. What part of her is that? Like I said, it’s like the soft underbelly. We all have it.”

Come back on Monday for the panel video.

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